Chapter 3: Time To Fight In The Ring!

Outside the door stood a combat ring.

“Here for a fight?”

A burly man on the stage stood with his hands on his hips.

A projector behind him magnified the scene, broadcasting it high into the sky so that half the neighborhood could watch the battle unfold.

“You two little ladies over there, wanna duke it out? Win, and all this cash is yours~”

The man had spotted me and Cluru.

—Beating up a cute girl isn’t exactly gentlemanly.

But it sure draws a crowd.

“Modern folks really do love to fight,” Cluru sighed. 

“Spirit battles and spirit cultivation. Those are the hottest keywords nowadays…”

“Why don’t you take part?”

“My spirit’s kind of… weird. Hey, where are you going?”

I headed toward the ring.

My stomach was still growling. 

I needed to make money fast for proper food, water, and a roof over my head.

I couldn’t live the rest of my life surviving on tentacles.

“Heh, little lady, you look sickly— can barely stand straight. You sure you wanna fight me?”

I nodded seriously.

I didn’t have a spirit companion or anything like that.

But I had my own tricks.

“Alright then, Uncle’ll go easy on you. Heh.”

The man grinned and suddenly spread his legs, dropping into a half-crouch.

“Spirit—manifest!”

A golden tiger erupted behind him—his spirit. 

At the same time, tiger-striped markings slithered across his skin.

Soon, the tiger’s phantom merged with his body.

His muscles swelled grotesquely, taking on a fierce, beast-like appearance.

“Starting with a full spirit fusion?! And you say you’re going easy?!” Cluru panicked, shouting from ringside. 

“Run! He’ll cripple you!”

But I didn’t even flinch. 

I stared straight at the tiger spirit.

I see…

It really did resemble a cultivator’s manifestation form.

In that case…

I pressed my fingers together in front of me.

“Manifestation!”

Boom—

A bolt of lightning cracked down behind me from a clear sky.

From the blaze of thunderlight, a massive pale beast revealed itself.

A single horn pierced the sky, lightning dancing across its scaled hide. 

Its gaze crackled like thunder—not angry, yet brimming with a divine majesty that commanded all living things.

“W-Wha—”

The burly man finally looked up only to find his mighty tiger spirit had collapsed to the ground.

It was trembling, bowing low like a servant before its sovereign.

The man himself sank to his knees as well, head bowed so low he didn’t dare make eye contact.

As if even looking at her would be an insult.

“A… Qilin…” he stammered. 

“A legendary-class… spirit…”

Huh?

Legendary-class spirit? 

This is just a little manifestation, really.

Wait… is it that rare?

I glanced around and realized that many of the onlookers had dropped to their knees.

Their spirits— be they cat, tiger, or wolf had manifested as well, every one of them bowing low before my form.

I smacked my forehead.

Oh, right. I forgot that Qilin is the king of beasts.

“Still want to fight?” I asked the stunned ringmaster.

“Legendary spirit? Fight my ass…” the man laughed bitterly. 

“A spirit like that could crush me by sheer presence alone… Why would someone like you even need to enter a low-tier ring like mine for money?”

“It’s not a legendary spirit. Just a simple trick.” I reiterated.

This thing was called a manifestation form, something cultivators naturally developed at a certain level. 

Besides the Qilin, I also had the Four Symbols…

“Please, don’t joke,” the man said, shoving a huge wad of cash into my hands. 

“Just seeing a legendary spirit with my own eyes, worth it. That money’s yours.”

“Thank you.”

I took it without hesitation.

I had money now~!

Completely unaware that my tail was wagging behind me, I wore a look of sheer bliss that, combined with my peerless looks, made me illegally adorable.

The ringmaster’s nose started gushing blood.

“Worth it… so worth it…” he mumbled as he watched me leave the stage.

…..

So what do you do when you finally have money?

Eat something nutritious, obviously.

“I know a good restaurant,” Cluru clung to my arm and led the way.

Her long violet hair was tied into a high ponytail, with a pristine white bow perched at the base. 

The contrast of purple and white made the ribbon look like an angel dancing in a forbidden temple.

I was the opposite of long, white hair flowing down like silk.

Yeah… I’m the angel here.

“Didn’t you say you hadn’t left your place in seventeen years?” I asked.

“It’s owned by a gamer friend of mine. We used to play together online…”

Following her steps, I soon arrived at a small restaurant.

The place was tiny, and it was peak meal time— filled with students.

Young, hormonal students. No way they could resist girls who look like ours.

The moment I sat down, I felt countless eyes sneak glances our way.

“They’re all from the nearby Spirit Academy,” Cluru explained.

“You… don’t go to school?” I asked.

Cluru didn’t answer.

I figured it probably had something to do with why she’d been holed up in that basement all this time.

“Cluru?”

The manager was a petite young woman, soft-spoken and gentle in demeanor.

She gasped and walked over.

“You actually came out?”

“Mm-hmm, because I got myself a new girlfriend,” Cluru beamed, using her tentacle to pull me in by the waist.

The manager stared at me in shock.

“The girlfriend you talked about over voice chat is… a real person?!”

“What’s that supposed to mean!” Cluru huffed, crossing her arms. 

“Do I look like some ultimate shut-in who’s been clinging to a body pillow for seventeen years, gaming nonstop except for meals?”

“……”

Both the pillow and the not-pillow fell silent.

“Well, it’s good that you’re out. What can I get you two?”

“Anything edible… as soon as possible…” I groaned, slumping over the table.

My stomach was roaring. 

Ma’am, please just bring me something humans can eat!

“She looks really hungry… I’ll bring you some cold dishes first.”

Anything’s fine, just hurry.

“Cold dish incoming~ Wasabi octopus legs, our signature dish!”

“……”

My vision darkened— I nearly faceplanted into the plate.

I really didn’t want to eat any more octopus products right now.

“Do you have… anything else…” I rasped.

“We’ve also got spicy squid legs, marinated baby cuttlefish, blanched sea hare heads, octopus takoyaki…”

Is this a tentacle specialty shop?

“Oh, and some boiled peanuts.”

“Peanuts. Thank you.”

“You know, you didn’t have to eat cold dishes for free…”

“Peanuts. Thank you.”

Insisting firmly, I finally got the manager to bring the peanuts.

But just as she placed them on the table and before I could even peel one—

Trouble arrived.

“Starting today, this block belongs to the Tiger Head Gang. Standard fee 30,000 per business.”

A group of muscle-bound thugs blocked the entrance.

But the petite manager wasn’t intimidated at all. 

She rolled up her sleeves and marched forward:

“Today it’s the Tiger Head Gang, tomorrow it’ll be the Chicken Head Gang— this place’s changed hands ten times this year. You think we’re a bank?”

“Oho… got some bite to you.”

The thug sneered and suddenly, reddish-brown fur began to sprout from his body.

“Spirit—manifest!”