Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner-Chapter 8 - : Testing the Spectral Blade

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Testing the Spectral Blade

Karl stepped forward, ready to test the [Spectral Blade].

"Spectral Blade," he said firmly.

From within the [Spirit Cemetery], five spirits responded to his call.

They weren't his summons, but the restless souls of monsters his summons had slain.

Their glowing forms appeared around him, faint outlines of a bear, fox, snake, boar, and rabbit.

The spirits swirled upward, their energy blending together into a glowing orb above his hand.

It shimmered and pulsed as it condensed, stretching and shaping itself.

Moments later, the orb erupted in light, revealing the [Spectral Blade].

The weapon floated just above his palm before he grasped it.

It was unlike any sword Karl had ever seen.

Its blade was a transparent silver, faintly glowing and shifting as if made of liquid light.

Along its edges, faint ripples of spectral energy flickered, and its hilt was sleek and cold, fitting perfectly in his hand.

He gave it a small swing.

The blade hummed softly, leaving a faint trail of energy in its wake.

[9/10 strikes left.]

"Damn?!" Karl was taken aback.

Even swinging it by accident or to test took out one of the ten strikes.

[Spirit Cemetery: 8/15]

'As I thought.'

He had lost five spirits from the [Spirit Cemetery].

But that also meant something else for Karl:

If he needed to fully max his spirit cemetery to [Link] or [Absorb], and he also needed spirits to use his skills, then didn't that mean he would need to manage the both?

It was an actual problem that he needed to think about actively.

Karl tightened his grip on the [Spectral Blade], the translucent weapon humming in his hand.

The five spirits that formed it still flickered faintly within the blade, their energy pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Let's test you out," he muttered, eyes scanning the area for any way to do so.

Not far ahead, a group of five level 6 Dire Wolves prowled the clearing.

Their glowing green eyes locked onto Karl, snarling as they prepared to attack.

"Level 6..." he muttered, looking at their levels.

He was only level 3, meaning that most people would only expect him to take monsters of such a level.

Yet, for some strange reason, Karl didn't feel scared as he saw the [Dire Wolves].

"Only act if you see I'm in danger," he told his spirits, and they all nodded, letting him handle it.

He had never handled a sword ever before, but even then, he needed to get used to it if he wanted to get stronger.

And so he dashed forward, the blade light as air in his hand despite its immense power.

The closest wolf lunged at him, but Karl swung the [Spectral Blade] in a clean arc.

The strike connected, and the wolf didn't just fall, it was torn apart by the blade's spectral energy.

A level 6 was just one-shotted by a level 3.

[You have slain a level 6 Dire Wolf.]

But that wasn't the end of the attack.

Because when his blade connected, a wave of silvery light exploded outward, striking the four remaining wolves with enough force to send them skidding back.

Karl didn't stop after seeing that.

He let out a small grin as he saw the destructive power, then closed the distance with the second wolf and thrust the blade forward.

The spectral energy surged again, ripping through the wolf's body and leaving it lifeless.

[You have slain a level 6 Dire Wolf.]

Slash! Slash!

Two more strikes, two more down.

[You have slain two level 6 Dire Wolves.]

The last wolf growled, backing away, but Karl raised the blade high and brought it down with force.

The ground beneath the wolf cracked as the spectral energy exploded on impact, finishing it instantly.

[You have slain a level 6 Dire Wolf.]

When the fight ended, the blade's glow dimmed slightly as it had lost some of its strikes.

[4/10 strikes left.]

The more he fought with it, the less energy it would emit, though it remained just as powerful.

Karl crouched down, picking up the glowing [Spirit Orbs] dropped by the defeated wolves.

He was now back to his original amount before using his skill: 13/15.

'I guess [Spectral Blade] is actually worth it, then,' he thought as he had managed to gather the orbs back while still keeping the blade.

On top of that, his experience had skyrocketed.

[Level: 3 (89.00%)]

It was obvious, but if you kill monsters at a higher level than yours, your experience does go up faster.

In fact, Karl was already on the verge of leveling up.

[Your proficiency with "Spectral Blade" has increased by 12%]

'I wonder if Celeste is already at level 5,' he mused, recalling her SSS-Rank profession.

Comparing himself to others wasn't usually his style, but Celeste was on another level.

Her abilities likely made progress as fast as his, if not faster.

Shaking his head, Karl refocused. 'Never mind. Let's keep moving.'

The thought of 100,000 awakeners of the empire participating in the novice trial crossed his mind again.

From what he'd gathered, the trials must be divided by schools, each group in a separate section of the massive tower.

That explained why he hadn't encountered anyone else so far.

"Probably around 500 people in this area," he muttered.

It was a reasonable estimate given the number of students per school.

Hosting smaller, separate trials made sense, it kept things manageable and less chaotic.

Karl's summons immediately sprang into action, sensing the command.

The [Demonized Fox] dashed ahead, leading the charge, while Karl advanced behind them with his glowing blade.

Eventually, A pack of level 5 Dire Bears and level 6 Dire Wolves emerged from the shadows, their growls rumbling through the air as they prepared to strike.

Karl tightened his grip on the [Spectral Blade], ready to use his remaining strikes.

His first strike cleaved through a Dire Bear, releasing a shockwave that sent two nearby wolves staggering.

Their snarls turned to yelps as they struggled to regain footing.

A Dire Bear lunged at Karl, claws extended, but before it could reach him, the [Demonized Bear] intercepted it with a thunderous roar.

The summoned bear slammed into its wild counterpart, overpowering it with sheer force and ending the threat in seconds.

Slash! Slash!

Two more swift strikes from the [Spectral Blade] finished off a Dire Wolf and another bear.

The glowing blade flickered before vanishing from Karl's hand.

[0/10 strikes left.]

He glanced at the [Spirit Cemetery].

He could summon the blade again, but it would cost him more spirits.

Instead, he raised his hand, calling upon [Spirit Flames].

A white fire ignited on his hand, crackling with energy.

And so while Karl unleashed flames, his summons handled the rest.

The [Green Snake] coiled around a wolf, suffocating it, while the [Nature Bear] crushed another under its massive paws.

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Moments later, the battlefield was clear, and notifications flooded in.

[You have reached level 4. You have gained 2 stat points for each of your stats.]

[Level: 4 (19.00%)]

[Your "Spirit Cemetery" and "Summon Cemetery" limit has increased by 5.]

Karl groaned at the notification. 'Another increase.'

Now, he needed 20 spirits to use [Link] or [Absorb], adding to the challenge.

Luckily, with his spirits maxed out after all of those kills, he quickly replenished the cemetery.

[Spirit Cemetery: 20/20]

His summons had also leveled up to level 4, growing stronger alongside him.

"Well, at least it's progress," Karl said, brushing off the exhaustion as he prepared to move deeper into the trial.

But not before entering his [Spirit Cemetery], obviously.

By that I mean that there are indeed 100,000 people participating, but in Karl's current trial, there are only 500 present, who are the students from his school.

The others are in the tower too, participating in the same trial as he is, but just in a different place.