Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner-Chapter 31 - : Second and Third Wave, Overwhelming Number

Now that he had lost four summons, Karl's [Summon Cemetery] was down to 13.

His numbers had already been low from the start, so losing even one summon was bad.

But losing four? That was unacceptable.

And that was exactly why he planned to avenge them.

No more waiting. No more excuses.

His four goblins had been cut down, and to pay for their lives, he would take the three spirit orbs of the ones responsible.

His grip on his sword tightened.

Spectral Blade!

With a flicker of energy, Karl summoned the spectral weapon formed from five spirits back.

The translucent blade hummed with raw energy as he strode forward, eyes locked onto his targets.

His [Frenzied Rabbit], [Alpha Dire Wolf], and [Orc King] followed right behind him, moving in sync with his steps.

Each of them radiated battle intent, their gazes locked onto the three awakeners ahead, the same ones who had killed his goblins.

"Hey, big bro, look," one of the men nudged his leader, pointing at Karl, "He looks pissed."

The leader, a broad-shouldered man clad in thick gauntlets, grinned, "Heh? Guess we're gonna have to kick his ass, then."

"Careful," the third man warned, adjusting his stance, "I saw one of his disgusting summons take someone out earlier. He's not weak."

Their words didn't faze Karl.

He didn't care what they thought.

He didn't care if they were ready or not.

He was locked in, ready to unleash everything he had.

The man in the gauntlets shifted his stance and smirked, "Alright, let's—"

But before he could finish his sentence...

Fwsh! Fwsh! Fwsh!

Three streaks of white light cut through the air and blood sprayed.

The heads of all three men burst like overripe fruit, their lifeless bodies crumbling to the ground in an instant.

Karl froze, stepping back instinctively.

His eyes darted toward the direction the attacks had come from.

And there, standing a short distance away, was Sylas, the top-ranked awakener on the leaderboard.

His red hair practically blazed under the light, and a wide, confident grin stretched across his face.

His eyes, sharp and intense, locked onto Karl as if expecting gratitude.

Karl stared at him for a few seconds, his grip on his blade tightening.

"Hey," Karl muttered, voice flat. "I was about to fight."

He wasn't thankful for being saved. He didn't want to be saved.

"I saved you," Sylas replied with a casual shrug, already turning away, "Thank me later."

Karl's jaw clenched.

He only got [Spirit Orbs] if he was the one to land the killing blow, or if it was a teammate.

And since Sylas had taken all three of them out, Karl got nothing.

Just like that, his revenge was stolen from him.

He sighed, shaking his head.

'Next time.'

Even if he hadn't been the one to kill them, he was at least proud that he had been ready to fight for his summons.

It was a step in the right direction.

A notification rang out.

Ding!

[96 Participants Remain.]

[The second wave is about to start.]

Karl barely had time to process it before monsters began to appear again, this time, two types instead of one.

[Lizard Warrior, Level 16]

[Elite Lizard Knight, Level 17]

Karl immediately analyzed them.

The [Lizard Warriors] were similar to the previous wave, humanoid reptilians with jagged weapons and rough scales.

But the [Elite Lizard Knights] were different.

They were taller, stronger, and armored, making them much more dangerous.

Still, this wasn't bad news.

The knights were Level 17, meaning Karl could acquire more spirit orbs from them.

And right now, he badly needed them.

Spirit Flames!

With his blade still in hand, Karl extended his left arm and launched a swirling white flame toward one of the [Elite Lizard Knights].

The second the fire touched its scales, its entire body ignited.

The creature let out a painful screech, thrashing wildly as it burned.

But unlike the previous wave, it didn't die immediately.

Karl's eyes narrowed. "Oh, damn."

It was rare for his [Spirit Flames] to be unable to kill a "common" monster.

The knights' defenses were no joke.

But while Karl was analyzing them, the other participants were avoiding them entirely.

Most were only attacking the [Lizard Warriors], leaving the knights untouched.

Karl understood why.

The knights weren't worth extra points, and since the trial required every enemy to be defeated, the strategy made sense.

Still, Karl wasn't about to sit around.

His summons surged forward.

His [Orc King] smashed into a group of knights, sending them stumbling back, then swung its massive blade horizontally, cutting through three of them in a single swing.

"Wow," Karl muttered, inspired, he tried to do the same.

He lunged, swinging his [Spectral Blade] with a powerful arc.

Clang!

The strike was blocked.

The [Elite Lizard Knight] had reacted in time, raising its own weapon to intercept the attack.

But the impact wasn't wasted.

The sheer force of the clash sent a shockwave that staggered the enemies behind it.

Karl's [Frenzied Rabbit] and [Alpha Dire Wolf] immediately lunged into action, taking advantage of the opening.

The knight pushed Karl back and retaliated, swinging its weapon straight at his neck.

Karl ducked, avoiding the slash, then thrust his blade upward, piercing its throat.

'Phew.' He exhaled sharply, stepping aside just in time to dodge another attack from behind.

A [Lizard Warrior] had tried to ambush him, but Karl twisted mid-motion and slashed its neck open before it could react.

His summons were also struggling: even the [Orc King] was getting overwhelmed, swinging its massive blade wildly just to keep the enemies at bay.

Karl barely avoided another strike, only surviving thanks to his [Frenzied Rabbit], which leaped in and slashed at a lizard that had been about to gut him.

The battle was intense.

Yet after a long, grueling fight, all the lizards were dead.

And a notification popped up.

[The Second Wave has ended.]

But before Karl could even catch his breath—

[The Third Wave has started.]

No break. No delay.

Karl immediately moved, grabbing as many [Spirit Orbs] as he could see.

[+28 Elite Lizard Knight Spirits]

"Not bad," he muttered.

He could already tell that these would be useful later.

The new wave was similar, but this time, a new monster appeared.

[Elite Lizard Archers, Level 17]

Karl barely had the time to process it that an arrow whizzed toward his head.

Fwsh!

He dodged, barely avoiding it.

The archers were armored, just like the knights, but wielded longbows instead of swords.

Karl gritted his teeth.

These guys were annoying.

Still, even with only three summons, he managed to handle them.

As the fight continued, another notification rang out.

[84 Participants Remain.]

If five more people died, the trial would end.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

And as he fought, Karl quickly realized something frustrating, his [Spectral Blade] wasn't versatile enough.

Each strike had a limited number of uses, and even blocking arrows consumed one.

This meant he had to actively dodge everything.

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Still, he fought through, cutting down more monsters.

[+35 Elite Lizard Knights; +24 Elite Lizard Archers]

But just as he prepared for the next wave, a new notification appeared.

[A boss monster will appear.]

[Killing it will grant 100 Points.]

Karl tensed.

'A boss?'

This was going to be something else entirely.