The ruins of the forest faded behind him, replaced by the broken skyline of the last human city — Sanctum-9.
Once a fortress of steel and glass, now it was a patchwork of rusted towers and flickering runes.
Yet within its crumbling walls, thousands of lights burned again.
The city was awake.
The Spirit Network had returned.
And every awakened human had come here to prove they were worthy of surviving in this new age.
Stark walked through the outer gates, hood pulled low, carrying only a worn pack and the faint blue glow of his runes hidden under bandages.
The guards at the checkpoint scanned him with a rusted crystal sphere. It flared once, displaying his public status.
[Registered Class: Soul Caster (Basic)]
[Level: 16]
[Region: Outer Sanctuary 14]
[Verification: Valid]
The soldier nodded and handed him back his pass. "Proceed to the academy square. Registration closes by sundown."
Stark exhaled quietly and stepped through.
His false class tag worked. The Soul Caster designation was generic enough to hide his real one — Spirit Summoner. If anyone knew, the city's Guilds would tear him apart trying to claim him.
[Status Check]
Attribute
Value
Name:
Stark
Class:
[Unique] Spirit Summoner (Hidden as Soul Caster)
Level:
16
Spirit Energy (SE):
92 / 100
Soul Power:
68
Synchronization Rate:
28 %
Active Spirit:
Wraith of Ashes (Common → Rare Evolution Pending)
He'd spent the past week fighting every spirit beast the wilderness could throw at him — skeletal ravagers, soul bats, corrupted treants.
He bled, burned, and nearly froze, but he made it.
Each kill brought him closer to this point: the Academy Trials.
The main square was already overflowing with people.
Hundreds of newly awakened stood in lines that stretched toward the old citadel. Their weapons shimmered faintly — each different, each bound by the System.
Some carried glowing swords, others rune staves, spirit gloves, or even animal familiars.
System messages floated faintly above their heads, showing their profession classes.
[Spirit Warrior]
[Rune Caster]
[Shadow Hunter]
[Elementalist]
[Soul Archer]
[Spirit Summoner] (1)
That last one caught Stark's eye — glowing faintly red in the crowd, standing out like a curse.
A girl about his age stood near the fountain, dark hair tied back, wearing scavenger armor like his. The Spirit Summoner tag hovered clearly above her.
People around her whispered and edged away.
"A Summoner? I thought that class was extinct."
"Bad luck to stand near one. Their summons go berserk."
"Don't look at her, man. The Spirit Network marks those kinds."
Stark pulled his hood lower and kept walking.
He didn't need attention. Not yet.
The central plaza was surrounded by holo-panels showing Academy Announcements.
[Eternal Spirit Academy — Entrance Trials Begin at Dusk]
Eligible Participants: All Classes, Level 15–25
Test Phases:
1. Combat Evaluation
2. Spirit Affinity and Control Test
3. Mental Synchronization Assessment
Reward: Academy Admission and Rank Placement
He joined one of the lines leading toward a circular platform etched with glowing runes.
An instructor in silver armor stood at the edge, reading names off a holo-tablet.
"Next! Step forward and register your Core!"
A boy stepped up before Stark — tall, confident, carrying a spear engraved with red light. The tablet scanned him.
[Name: Eran Voss]
[Class: Flame Spear Warrior]
[Level: 22]
[Affinity: Fire 83%]
Evaluation: Passed — Ranked as Intermediate Candidate.
Cheers rose from his friends nearby.
Stark's turn came next. The instructor glanced at his plain clothes, frowning slightly. "Name."
"Stark," he said evenly.
The instructor tapped the tablet. "Class?"
"Soul Caster."
The man nodded, unimpressed. "Level?"
"Sixteen."
The scanning light swept over Stark. For a moment, the System hesitated — as if struggling to read what he really was. Then it resolved.
[Public Data Detected]
[Class: Soul Caster]
[Level: 16]
[Core Stability: 100%]
[Verification Complete.]
"Accepted," the instructor said. "Report to the red zone for preliminary testing."
Stark stepped aside, ignoring the looks. A few students whispered.
"He doesn't look strong enough."
"Soul Casters are support types. He's going to fail."
"Look at his eyes though—too calm."
He didn't respond.
He'd learned to let people underestimate him. It kept him alive.
The testing arena was an open field surrounded by cracked walls and floating runic monitors.
Each candidate faced an evaluation spirit — a combat hologram projected by the Spirit Network itself, adjusted to the candidate's level.
Stark waited his turn, watching others fight.
A Blade Dancer slashed through her projection in a blur of wind and light.
A Rune Mage summoned pillars of fire that shook the ground.
Then came a Spirit Archer who fired glowing arrows that turned midair.
The crowd cheered, and the instructors nodded in approval.
"Next — Soul Caster, Stark!"
He stepped onto the platform. The runes lit up under his boots, humming.
[Initializing Evaluation Construct.]
[Opponent Level: 18 – Spirit Beast Simulation.]
[Objective: Survive or Defeat within 3 minutes.]
[Begin.]
The ground trembled.
From the center of the arena, a beast formed — half wolf, half mist, its eyes burning blue. Its size doubled anything he'd fought before.
[Spirit Simulation: Abyssal Lupus – Rank D]
[HP: 1,200]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
The crowd murmured, expecting a short match.
Stark raised his weapon. Blue light ran along its frame, humming with anticipation.
He whispered, "Wraith, ready?"
The mist beside him coiled and solidified. "Always."
The referee frowned. "Wait—what's that? You're not a—"
Too late.
The wolf lunged.
Stark fired.
A blue flash tore through the arena, hitting the beast in the chest and sending it crashing backward. The audience gasped. The instructor monitoring his tablet nearly dropped it.
[Soul Shot: Direct Hit]
[Damage: 312]
[Target Staggered]
The beast howled, reforming, then charged again. Stark sidestepped and fired another shot. The Wraith swept forward, spectral chains whipping through the air to bind the creature's limbs.
[Skill: Soul Drain Lv.2]
[Absorbing Spirit Energy…]
[Target Weakening — Defense -20%]
The crowd erupted.
Even the instructors leaned forward now, murmuring to each other.
"Wait, he said Soul Caster, right?"
"That's not a Soul Caster's skill set—what is he?"
"Those chains—are those summon mechanics?"
The simulation beast shattered into light, dissolving into particles.
The System chimed.
[Evaluation Complete.]
Result: Victory.
Time Taken: 1 minute, 47 seconds.
Efficiency Score: A-
Spirit Control Rating: 91%
Potential Rank: Gold-Tier Candidate (Provisional)
The instructor's eyes widened as he looked at the data on his tablet.
He stared at Stark. "What the hell are you, boy?"
Stark just holstered his weapon, the glow fading from his skin. "Soul Caster, sir."
The man blinked. "...Right. Next!"
As he stepped off the platform, whispers followed him again—this time not of doubt, but of curiosity.
"Did you see that attack?"
"That wasn't Spirit Energy, it was Soul Force!"
"No way he's just a Caster—he's hiding something."
He ignored them.
The Wraith floated silently behind him, its faint form visible only to him.
"You risk exposure," it murmured. "These people fear what they don't control."
"I know," Stark said quietly. "But I also need a place inside this academy. If I want to grow… if I want to understand the Spirit Network, this is where I start."
"Then you must play the mask well."
He smiled faintly. "That's the plan."
By sundown, the first phase of testing ended.
Stark sat on the edge of the square, watching as candidates were sorted into ranks: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
His ID flickered as a message appeared.
[System Message]
Congratulations, Candidate Stark.
You have been assigned Gold-Tier Provisional Rank.
Report tomorrow for the Second Phase: Spirit Affinity & Synchronization Test.
He exhaled, relief washing through him. He'd made it past the first gate.
The crowd began to disperse as night fell. Faint light from floating lanterns bathed the ruins in color, and the air buzzed with quiet energy.
The age of silence was over. Humanity was adapting again.
But as Stark turned to leave, his weapon pulsed once.
[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected.]
Location: Eastern Sector of Sanctum-9.
Signature: Spirit Summoner Class — Active.
He froze.
Another summoner?
The one he'd seen earlier?
The Wraith whispered, "Something watches you. The chain of fate tightens."
He glanced toward the rooftops, where a faint blue glow flickered between the shadows—eyes, maybe, or runes.
"Let them watch," he said. "I'm not done yet."
[System Notice]
Mission Updated: Path to the Academy
Progress: 60% Complete
Next Objective: Pass Phase Two — Spirit Synchronization Assessment.
Reward: Access to Academy Rank Hall.
Failure: Class Exposure Penalty.
The runes across the city dimmed one by one until only the academy towers glowed.
Somewhere in the darkness, a girl's voice echoed softly:
"Another Spirit Summoner… so I'm not the last."