"Lower my standards? Maybe they should lower their standards! I’m an amazing summoner! I—ouch!" Gu Jin yelped as she felt something sharp bite her finger.
She quickly looked down and saw a small, chubby creature latched onto her hand.
It had tiny claws, a soft white belly, and a back covered in fluffy red scales.
Its big round eyes blinked up at her, full of mischief.
It looked somewhat like a lizard, but it was way too cute to be one.
"What in the world—?" Gu Jin waved her hand, trying to shake it off.
The creature, however, clung on stubbornly, its tiny tail wiggling in excitement.
Si Kai took one glance at it and immediately burst out laughing.
"Oh, Sister, congratulations! You’ve attracted a puny lineage beast!"
Gu Jin frowned. "What do you mean ’puny lineage’?!"
Si Kai wiped away a tear.
"I don’t even need to scan it to know it’s weak. Just look at it! No aura, no threatening presence, just... chubby cuteness. I bet it doesn’t even have a proper species name."
Gu Jin however stared at the cute white lizard and felt a strange sense of longing.
The cute lizard stared at Gu Jin with a cute look in its eyes.
Suddenly Gu Jin seemed to see a scene where she was hugging the lizard and kissing it.
"Ah." Gu Jin clutched her head.
Si Kai was worried and asked instantly,
"Sister, are you okay?"
"I...I am fine." Gu Jin muttered.
"We should leave. You are not okay." Si Kai insisted.
Gu Jin took a deep breath and shook her head.
"No, I’m fine," she said, but her voice sounded a little uncertain.
Si Kai still looked worried.
"Sister, you just clutched your head like you were having a vision or something. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head too hard from all those rejections?"
Gu Jin shot him a glare. "Shut up."
Meanwhile, the tiny lizard was still hanging onto her finger, its tail swaying happily. It seemed completely unbothered by the conversation happening above it.
In fact, it even licked Gu Jin’s finger as if to claim her as its own.
Gu Jin stared at the creature.
"Why are you biting me, huh? Do you want to form a contract with me?"
The little lizard blinked at her, then nodded.
Si Kai choked on his own laughter.
"Did... did that thing just agree? Sister, I think this might be the first and only beast desperate enough to want a contract with you."
Gu Jin ignored him and looked back at the lizard. "Are you sure? You won’t regret it?"
The lizard chirped and rubbed its face against her finger. It was soft, warm, and honestly, way too adorable.
Gu Jin felt her heart melt a little.
"Sister don’t say you are truly thinking of forming a contract with this little one?"
Gu Jin held the lizard up and grinned. "I mean, look at it! It’s so cute!"
"Yeah, cute. That’s great, but cute doesn’t win battles." Si Kai crossed his arms.
"Do you even know what it can do? Or are you just picking it because you want a pet?"
Gu Jin thought for a moment, then turned to the lizard. "Hey, little guy, do you have any special abilities?"
The lizard puffed out its chest proudly and then...
A tiny spark of flame popped out of its mouth, barely big enough to light a candle.
Si Kai stared. Then he fell to the ground laughing. "THAT’S IT?! That’s all it can do?!"
Gu Jin’s eye twitched. "Maybe it’s just warming up! Let’s try again."
She tapped the lizard’s head. "Okay, buddy, show me your strongest attack."
The lizard nodded and took a deep breath. Its cheeks puffed up like a little balloon. Gu Jin leaned forward with anticipation.
Another tiny spark, just as weak as the last one.
Si Kai was practically rolling on the floor now.
"Oh, this is too good! Sister, you might have actually summoned the weakest beast in existence."
Gu Jin’s face twitched, but she still held the lizard close.
Just then a dark ball suddenly hit the lizard, knocking it out of Gu Jin’s hand.
Gu Jin was stunned and turned her head, only to find a majestic blue dragon.
Gu Jin’s heart skipped a beat as she stared at the massive blue dragon standing a short distance away.
Its shimmering scales glowed under the strange sky, and its piercing golden eyes locked onto her.
Si Kai instantly stopped laughing. "Uh... Sister? I think we have a problem."
The dragon’s wings spread wide, creating a powerful gust of wind that nearly knocked them off balance.
Its long tail swayed behind it, and a deep, rumbling growl echoed across the summoning plane.
Gu Jin’s eyes darkened. "Did you just attack my beast?"
The dragon snorted, its breath releasing a faint mist of energy.
"That weak thing? It is not worthy of a contract." Its voice was deep and proud, filled with arrogance.
"Summoners should seek powerful companions, not useless creatures."
Gu Jin clenched her fists. "And who are you to decide that?"
"See, summoner, I can form a contract with you. No conditions. I have a dragon Lineage. I have the potential to become a supreme rank beast." The dragon answered.
Gu Jin narrowed her eyes at the dragon.
"Oh? So you just think I’ll drop my little lizard and take you instead?"
The dragon lifted its head proudly.
"Of course. Any summoner with common sense would choose me over that pathetic creature."
"Sister, maybe we should think about this. I mean... it’s a DRAGON."
But Gu Jin wasn’t listening. She looked down at the tiny lizard in her hands.
It was shaking slightly, but it still tried to puff out its chest, looking determined despite its weak flames.
Gu Jin smiled. "Sorry, but I’m not interested."
The dragon blinked, looking almost shocked. "You... refuse?"
"Sister, are you insane?! Do you know how rare dragon-type beasts are?!"
"So what? Just because it’s powerful doesn’t mean I want it." She gently rubbed the lizard’s head.
"I already chose my partner."
The little lizard’s eyes widened, and then it let out a happy chirp, rubbing its face against her hand.
"You would rather struggle with that weakling than become a true summoner with me?"
Gu Jin’s grip on the little lizard tightened as she stared at the dragon.
"I already told you. I choose my own partner," she said coldly.
The dragon’s golden eyes darkened. "Then you are a fool."
Without warning, the dragon lifted its claw, and a powerful blast of dark energy shot toward the tiny lizard.
Gu Jin’s eyes widened. "No!"
The lizard tried to dodge, but it was too slow. The attack struck it directly, sending it flying out of Gu Jin’s hands.
"Little guy!" Gu Jin cried, rushing toward it.
The lizard tumbled on the ground, its small body shaking. Then, with a weak whimper, it coughed—
A splatter of bright red blood dripped from its mouth.
Si Kai’s eyes widened. "It... it’s spitting blood..."
The dragon watched calmly, its expression cold and indifferent.
Gu Jin turned to glare at the dragon, her aura growing colder.
"You... you almost killed it!"
"I barely used any force. That weakling can’t even handle a light attack. You still want to keep it?"
Gu Jin didn’t answer.
She knelt beside the lizard, her hands trembling as she gently picked it up. Its soft body felt weaker than before, and its tiny breaths were uneven.
The dragon sighed as if it was tired of explaining something obvious.
"That thing is the most pathetic creature in the summoning plane. Everyone knows it."
Si Kai, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "Wait. What do you mean?"
The dragon flicked its tail. "Its core is broken."
Gu Jin’s eyes widened.
Si Kai frowned. "Broken core? What does that mean?"
"It means that it can never grow stronger. It can’t cultivate. It will never evolve. It is completely useless."
The dragon’s voice was full of disdain. "A beast like that is despised by all. It is the weakest of the weak."
Si Kai looked curious. "Then... how did its core break?"
"Who knows? Maybe it was born that way. Maybe it was damaged when it was young. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s broken."
Gu Jin felt something strange in her chest.
A dull ache, as if something deep inside her was hurting.
She didn’t understand why.
The dragon continued.
"And because it’s so weak, it has lost its intelligence. It doesn’t think like a real beast anymore.
It only acts on instinct. It doesn’t understand power, or strength. It’s just a dumb, broken creature."
Gu Jin looked down at the little lizard in her hands.
It was hurt. It was weak. Its tiny body shivered slightly as if it was used to being in pain.