Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner-Chapter 32 - : Boss Monster, Injured Orc King

A sharp chime rang through the battlefield.

[A boss monster will appear.]

[Killing it will grant 100 Points.]

The announcement sent a wave of tension through the remaining participants.

The third wave had just ended, and now the real challenge began.

Unlike the hordes of monsters that had come before, this was a boss—stronger, deadlier, and, most importantly, worth a massive amount of points.

Only one person could land the final blow and claim those points, which meant that, beyond just fighting the boss, they might have to fight each other as well.

At this point, only 84 participants remained.

If just five more died, the trial would end immediately.

For the weaker participants, this was a terrifying realization.

But even for the strongest among them, there was no comfort in ending the trial early.

After all, the points earned here would translate into starting Credits at the academy.

The more they had, the better their position would be when the real competition began.

There were also potential maluses for failing to complete the trial properly, though nobody knew exactly what those entailed.

With that in mind, Karl immediately scanned the battlefield.

A massive pillar of light descended from the sky, illuminating the very center of the trial grounds.

From within the light, something began to materialize.

[Level 18 Lizard General (Boss Monster)]

[Strength - 150] [Stamina - 135] [Agility - 110] [Mana - 20]

The Lizard General was a towering, four-meter-tall humanoid lizard, its muscular body clad in dark armor that gleamed under the light.

A massive spiked tail swayed behind it, and in its clawed hands, it gripped a greatsword nearly the size of a human.

Even its helmet was designed for combat, covering its entire head and leaving no weak points for piercing attacks.

It was an opponent that, stat-wise, far outclassed any human here.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a nightmare to deal with.

But in this trial, raw stats weren't everything.

Awakeners had skills, and those could tip the balance.

The instant the Lizard General let out a thunderous roar, the battlefield exploded into action.

"GRRAAAAWR!"

That was the signal.

Every single participant dashed forward at once, weapons drawn, abilities igniting the air.

All except one.

Karl didn't move.

Instead of rushing toward the fight, he turned around and walked the opposite direction.

It wasn't that he didn't want the points—of course, killing a boss and getting its spirit would be valuable.

But the risk?

It wasn't worth it.

His spirits were his greatest strength, and sending them into that kind of chaotic battle would be reckless.

There were too many strong competitors, too many stray attacks.

If one of his spirits died, it wouldn't just be a temporary setback—it would be a permanent loss.

And Karl wasn't willing to lose his Frenzied Rabbit, his Alpha Dire Wolf, or his powerful boss-spirit, the Orc King.

So instead of competing for the boss, he positioned himself far away from the chaos.

A few seconds later—

Ding!

[Celeste Frost has killed the boss and acquired 100 Points!]

Karl raised an eyebrow.

That fast?

Well, it wasn't too surprising.

Celeste was a mage, and her rapid-fire spells were perfect for stealing the final hit.

Regardless, Karl was now exactly where he wanted to be: far away from the others, in a position where he wouldn't be immediately swarmed.

Ding!

[The Fourth Wave will now start!]

As expected, a new type of enemy appeared.

[Elite Lizard Mage - Level 18]

Unlike the previous warriors and archers, these monsters were robed figures wielding wooden staves.

Their abilities included:

[Buff], which strengthened their allies.

[Fireball], which launched explosive flames.

[Spikes], which caused the ground to erupt with sharp rock formations.

These enemies were far more troublesome than the previous ones.

Taking them down quickly was essential, or the other lizards would become too strong.

Karl wasted no time.

'Frenzied Rabbit, stay on my shoulder.'

'Alpha Dire Wolf, use your agility to strike whenever possible. Stay on the defensive.'

And as for his strongest spirit...

'Orc King—charge straight in.'

The Orc King grinned.

Karl frowned.

'Never smile again, please.'

The Orc King dropped its grin and immediately dashed forward, its massive blade swinging.

Karl followed close behind, sending [Spirit Flames] from afar while keeping an eye on the battlefield.

The enemy forces were numerous, at least thirty lizard warriors and mages in their immediate vicinity.

Even with the Orc King's overwhelming strength, fighting this many at once was dangerous.

Still, they were doing well.

The Orc King carved through the enemy ranks, each swing of its sword cutting down multiple opponents.

Whenever a mage fired a fireball or summoned spikes, the Orc King deflected them with its blade.

Karl himself used [Spectral Blade] to cut down any that got too close.

They were winning.

Until something went wrong.

The Orc King, surrounded by enemies, made a mistake.

One of the Elite Lizard Knights, empowered by a mage's buff, managed to slip past its defenses.

In a blur of motion—

Slash!

The Lizard Knight's blade cleaved straight through the Orc King's arm.

The Orc King's left arm was gone.

For a brief second, there was silence.

Then the Orc King roared in fury.

With its remaining arm, it swung wildly, slaughtering everything in sight.

Karl, gritting his teeth, finished off the remaining enemies.

And then...

Ding!

[The Fourth Wave has ended!]

[One minute before the final wave.]

A brief grace period before the final assault.

Karl rushed to the Orc King's side.

The spirit stood there, unmoving, its face neutral.

It showed no signs of pain or weakness, even as a blue liquid dripped from its severed shoulder.

'Spirits can't feel pain...' Karl muttered under his breath.

Still, an injury like this wasn't good.

"You think you can still fight?" he asked.

The Orc King hesitated for a second.

Then, with its one remaining arm, it swung its greatsword wildly, demonstrating its strength.

Karl grinned, "Alright. Keep going like that. Just don't die."

He wasn't sure how to heal his spirits, but he was certain there was a way, as long as they didn't die completely.

With that thought, Karl turned his attention to the battlefield.

Scattered across the ground were numerous Spirit Orbs, remnants of the enemies they had slain.

Karl quickly grabbed every single one, filling both his [Spirit Cemetery] and [Spirit Storage] to capacity.

It was surprising how easy it had become to fill them up.

In the beginning, gathering spirits had been difficult.

But now?

With so many monsters in each wave, it was almost effortless.

Still, he had to be careful—his current limit was 50 spirits.

[Level: 17 (89.00%)]

He was close to leveling up.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

But he didn't want to waste any time, so he quickly closed his eyes and muttered "Spirit Cemetery".

He made sure to exchange the important spirit orbs from the [Spirit Cemetery] to the [Spirit Storage], then decided to [Absorb].

It had been a while since he had done that, as gaining more spirits had been his top priority.

The 50 Spirits of the [Lizard] monsters emerged from the tombstones, then simultaneously flew toward Karl's body, seeping through him.

Instantly, he felt his power grow.

[You have gained 3 Strength.]

"Oooh," he was surprised to see he gained such a big amount, but it was expected, especially with 50 Spirits.

Just as quickly as he entered, though, he immediately closed his eyes back and returned to the trial.

He summoned the [Frenzied Rabbit], [Alpha Dire Wolf] and [Orc King] again, then got ready.

And as soon as he did that, a new panel appeared before him.

[Initiating the Final Wave...]

[5 Bosses will appear during this wave in addition to the monsters. Each boss will grant 100 Points if killed.]

Karl took a deep breath.

This was it.

The final wave.

And this time...

It wouldn't just be one boss.

It would be five.