It Works, though? (3)

When Kim Dojun was listening to the words thrown at him by the Chohwasu, the latter floated its body made of water through the air and then came before him to speak.

[As expected, young men are arousing.]

"..."

[Haa, haa]

"You son of a bitch!"

Thwack!

At the sound of deep, heavy breathing, Kim Dojun unconsciously blurted out a curse and swung his fist at Chohwasu, slamming the little dragon swirling around him into the ground.

[You pack quite a punch.]

"..."

[Maybe I don't dislike it?]

"......"

Chohwasu continued speaking as if nothing happened, leaving Kim Dojun feeling dizzy, wondering if he should just forget about making the contract. But in the end, he shook his head.

If he wanted to fully collect and freely use the "Unity" he was gathering, this guy was essential.

So after a moment of hesitation, Kim Dojun—

[Haa, haa—]

"... Guess I can't help it?"

Slowly raised his fist.

Thwack!

And began to beat up Chohwasu.

[Kk! Ha!]

Each time Kim Dojun's fist landed, chohwasu was slammed here and there, letting out pained groans.

[Persistent... But maybe that's good—]

Strangely enough, even as Kim Dojun pounded him like a madman, chohwasu kept letting out his signature deep-voiced groans, as if he actually enjoyed it.

[Mmm, good—]

Before long—

[... Mmm]

As soon as Kim Dojun started hitting harder—

[Ah.]

Chohwasu's chillingly teasing voice—

[Wa—]

Started to carry notes of desperation.

[Wait, wait—!]

[Ah, ahh—you hit my bone! I said you hit my bone!!!]

Thwaaaack!

Despite Chohwasu's cries, Kim Dojun kept throwing mad punches.

After about 10 minutes of this—

"Well, I think we can finally have a proper conversation now. What do you think?"

[...]

Chohwasu couldn't help but tremble at Kim Dojun's words.

"Let's form a contract, chohwasu."

The Chohwasu, which had been slumped like some melting slime, instantly recovered its spirit at the proposal, responding in an angry voice.

[Hmph! You think I'd form a contract with you? You were violent to me!]

"And I could do it again right now."

[?]

"You're not going to form a contract?"

Kim Dojun raised his fist threateningly as he spoke, and while Chohwasu flinched for a moment, it soon answered with a proud voice.

[You're the one who needs me! Anyways, you can't really do anything to me! And if you kill me, you'll become enemies with the one who tried so hard to recruit me!]

Chohwasu assessed its situation accurately.

Kim Dojun nodded, agreeing.

"I guess I can't do much."

[See!]

"But I can beat you up, right?"

[?]

"Look, even though I beat the crap out of you, you're still alive and well, aren't you?"

[So... the contract!]

"If you won't contract with me, I ought to at least beat you up, especially since you really seem to enjoy it."

*Grin.*

"See, when you beat up a regular person, they bruise up and look all pitiful, but your skin's made of water. So you look totally fine on the outside—makes it fun to hit you."

Kim Dojun spoke with a grin.

"So, will you contract with me or not?"

[...]

"Look, there are a lot of perks if you do. I'm not going to bug you much. You can just tag along, see the world... all you have to do is show up and help out whenever I call."

At Kim Dojun's words, chohwasu thought, "The biggest drawback would just be contracting with you," but upon glancing at Kim Dojun's clenched fist and curling up like a coiled snake, it considered for a moment, then sneaked a glance at Dojun—

[... Fine.]

It replied.

"Good decision."

Kim Dojun smiled.

####

For Shin Se-yeon, the Muryu clan had never been a place of happy memories since she was a child.

Her joyful memories ended at age six, when her mother and older sister were alive.

But after her mother and sister were murdered in the cruel experiment orchestrated by Shin Cheon-gyun, the Muryu clan always left her uneasy.

"..."

Perhaps if someone had cared for her back then, the Muryu clan might not have felt so hostile.

But on that day, under the pretense of an 'experiment',

Shin Cheon-gyun silently replaced the people within the clan who were close to her sister and mother.

By the time she turned seven, everyone Shin Se-yeon had known since her earliest days had disappeared from the clan.

After that, Shin Se-yeon was treated as if she didn't exist.

In the training ground, Shin Se-yeon looked at members of the Muryu clan passing by her.

She might have greeted them, but whether because of Shin Cheon-gyun or not, they all pretended not even to see her.

Even if their eyes met by chance, they immediately looked away.

"..."

She'd often heard herself called a genius born of the Muryu clan.

In other words, she was said to have grown up with the clan's abundant support.

Yet, even after receiving more than enough support and making the clan famous, the attitudes of its members toward Shin Se-yeon didn't change.

Of course, the reason she had worked so hard and made the clan renowned was so she could eventually depose Shin Cheon-gyun, whom she felt she could never defeat by her own strength, and then expose everything by becoming clan head herself...

Still, the clan's attitude toward her was excessively contradictory.

They consistently supported her, but treated her as if she didn't exist—a paradoxical situation.

'But it doesn't matter.'

Still, Shin Se-yeon stood firm.

Since learning sorcery, her goal had always been to kill her father, and she had the courage to endure anything for that.

"... Whew."

So, she kept her gaze on the departing figures of the Muryu clan members as they disappeared into the distance.

'In a week.'

Finally, she'd set the date to assassinate her father, Shin Cheon-gyun.

####

"...?"

Hundred Spirits Priestess Choi Yuron stared blankly at the situation before her.

She saw the Chohwasu spinning in circles around Kim Dojun.

Unlike its usually smooth movements, it was a bit jerky(?) right now, but it was definitely the Chohwasu.

"Huh??"

Not quite able to process what she was seeing, Choi Yuron's brain froze for a moment before she asked with a befuddled expression,

"Did you contract with it?"

She pointed at Chohwasu, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yes."

"???"

Hearing Kim Dojun calmly confirm it, she—with dozens of hooks floating over her head—stuttered out her next question.

"How?"

She was so astonished that her voice unintentionally went up a pitch.

But Kim Dojun, unfazed, just shrugged with an easy expression.

"It just, you know, worked?"

That's what he said.

"No, but how did you contract with that one? It's supposed to be a spirit you can't even communicate with, but you're supposed to speak to make a contract?"

Unable to believe it, she asked again with a baffled look. Kim Dojun nodded, as if he understood, and held out his finger.

"I could talk to it using this."

"... This?"

"This ring—it's called the Spirit Summoning Ring. If I wear it, I can communicate with Chohwasu."

He explained.

Then, as White Ghost Wolf was sharpening her claws in secret, fired up for the upcoming fight, but sulking because Kim Dojun hadn't come—

"So, do you need anything?"

"No?"

"Really, nothing at all? Like, school's tough, or life feels a bit rough these days... Anything like that?"

Choi Yuron was literally trying to curry favor with Kim Dojun.

####

Choi Yuron was on the verge of losing her mind.

And for a good reason—because that guy had taken Chohwasu.

Well, to be precise, it wasn't exactly "taken."

After all, it was Choi Yuron herself who'd responded to Kim Dojun's request to meet Chohwasu.

More importantly, the contract Kim Dojun had made wasn't a "soul contract," but just a regular contract.

'If it had been a soul contract, then it would really have been lost to me.'

Since it wasn't a soul contract, but a simple one, yuron still had a chance; she was desperate to borrow the Spirit Summoning Ring Kim Dojun was wearing.

"Tell me anything that's bothering you~ Big sis will fix it all, okay?"

The ultra-cool persona she'd projected at first was gone; instead, yuron oozed "helpful big sister" vibes, even dragging out her words.

Honestly, she was thinking that, since Dojun made the contract, maybe she could ask to borrow it at least once. But she didn't want to push it.

If she pushed it and Kim Dojun got annoyed and refused her forever? That would be a total disaster. So Yuron kept trying to butter him up to get what she wanted.

"Hmmm. Something I'm struggling with..."

Kim Dojun pretended to ponder.

"... You want to borrow this ring, don't you?"

"That's right... And you don't have to use honorifics with me!"

Yuron said, friendly as ever.

Considering what to do, Kim Dojun finally decided,

"Well, there's nothing I particularly want right now... Just help me out with a few favors later, please."

He figured that giving her a small favor to repay wouldn't hurt, especially since Yuron might end up an ally later, and she was the type who couldn't just swallow her debt and pretend it never happened—a proper hero type.

"R-really? You'll lend it to me?"

"Just for a little while."

"Th-thank you! I'll definitely repay this debt!"

Yuron looked ecstatic, as if she'd grabbed a lifeline from heaven.

Kim Dojun handed her the ring.

She carefully put it on, glancing at Chohwasu still hovering around Dojun—

"...!"

There was a slight ringing in her ears, then—

[Hmm....]

For the first time ever, chohwasu's deep voice sounded in her mind, and she couldn't help but break into a big smile.

"Chohwasu, I want to form a contract with you! Let's make a contract!"

She immediately and desperately declared her intent.

Chohwasu watched calmly—

[No.]

"... Eh?"

Flatly rejected her.

As Yuron stood there, stunned by the outright rejection—

[You're too old.]

"...?"

[Old hag.]

Chohwasu declared, as if making an announcement.

Craack-!

Choi Yuron felt something inside her shatter.

"What did you just say, you damn crazy lizard!!!"

She let out a curse.

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