Chapter 33: Spirit Realm [3]
Walking along with Erica, Klein glanced at the small spirit whisps surrounding the forest.
Some circled around Erica with familiarity, but many more seemed particularly drawn to Klein, hovering around him with clear interest.
Erica raised an eyebrow, observing the phenomenon.
"Interesting... they’re approaching you more eagerly than they do most new visitors. Your spirit affinity is truly exceptional."
Klein extended his hand, and one of the brighter wisps landed gently on his palm, pulsing warmly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
’This feels... familiar,’ he thought, remembering how Aeloria used to play with contracted spirits when they were younger.
Erica looked athim and spoke "As you can see, these are common spirits."
"In the Spirit Realm, spirits are classified into tiers, much like class ranks in our world; Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic."
As she spoke, she raised her hand, and a small white snake slithered around her wrist "This is Gyokubo. She is cute, isn’t she?
"Don’t be fooled by her appearance. She is a fucking beast."
Gyokubo suddenly opened her mouth, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs before it quickly subsided.
The little spirit then coiled innocently around Erica’s finger again, looking harmless once more.
Klein watched with genuine interest, "Impressive."
Erica stroked Gyokubo’s head gently "She is a Legendary-tier spirit. There are only a handful of them in my possession. Legendary spirits are extremely powerful and loyal once contracted."
"Mythic-tier spirits, on the other hand, are almost god-like. They are incredibly rare and have their own will and pride. Contracting one is more like forming an equal partnership than true ownership."
She glanced at Klein with a faint smile "I hope that my disciple will contract with a Mythic spirit someday."
They continued walking "You can’t easily contract with a spirit you randomly see."
"Intelligent spirits will have trials and you have to overcome that and show yourself as worthy of being their Master to establish a contract with them."
"For example, to get my Gyokubo, I beat the shit out of her."
Klein: -_-
Seeing his reaction, Erica couldn’t help but giggle "Don’t look at me like that. She was quite arrogant back then."
"It took three days of fighting before she finally submitted and accepted the contract. Now she’s one of my most reliable companions."
As they continued walking across the forest, countless common and uncommon spirits roamed freely, like wolves and deers and some groups of elemental sprites.
Klein looked at everything with quiet fascination.
Even in his pastlife he has seen many spirits Aeloria has tamed but he has never entered a Spirit Realm, because you need spirit energy to step into a spirit realm.
At that moment, his gaze turned to a particularly striking figure moving gracefully through a cluster of trees.
It was a Gale Jaguar spirit.
The majestic beast was larger than a normal jaguar, with a black fur coat.
Swirling winds constantly moved around its body, forming faint vortexes of green energy.
The Gale Jaguar noticed them immediately.
For a few seconds, the powerful spirit simply stared at him, flicking its tail curiously.
Then, instead of fleeing or showing hostility, it slowly began walking toward them, drawn by the unusually strong spirit energy radiating from Klein.
Erica stopped walking and raised an eyebrow, "Oh? A Gale Jaguar... and a fairly strong one at that. It is rare-tier too."
"It seems quite interested in you, disciple."
Klein stood still, meeting the jaguar’s gaze.
The Gale Jaguar stopped a short distance away, lowering its head slightly as if assessing him.
Erica watched the interaction closely "Gale Jaguars are known for their speed and predatory instincts. They are excellent for combat-oriented contracts, especially for those who prefer close-to-mid range fighting."
She glanced at Klein with a small smile "Would you like to try reaching out to it? This could be a good first opportunity."
"See if it communicates with you. Sometimes they are drawn to you, and you can easily form a contract."
"But sometimes you have to pass their trial."
Klein nodded slowly and gently extended his spirit energy toward the Gale Jaguar.
The jaguar’s ears twitched and it took another step closer, sniffing the air around him.
A faint golden-green light began to flicker between Klein and the spirit, as if testing compatibility.
Then it moved closer and Klein patted its head with a chuckle "Oh? You love me already?"
Erica was amazed to see this ’Seems like he tamed it without any trials.’
She spoke "Klein, pour your mana into it and initiate the contract."
Klein nodded, keeping one hand on the Gale Jaguar’s head.
He closed his eyes and began channeling his mana toward the spirit.
The jaguar remained still, accepting the flow. The golden-green light between them intensified, swirling around both of them like a gentle storm.
A faint contract rune began to form in the air between Klein’s palm and the jaguar’s forehead.
The Gale Jaguar let out a soft growl and its body glowed brighter as the contract took hold.
Erica stared at Klein in shock ’W-What... is that mana control? Is he really a newly awakened Arbiter?’
"Remarkable," she murmured. "The bond is forming smoothly."
After a few moments, the light reached its peak and then settled.
A glowing mark appeared on the back of Klein’s right hand like a stylized jaguar head with wind patterns.
The Gale Jaguar stepped back slightly, looking at Klein with clear loyalty.
"GRAAARR!" It let out a proud roar that echoed across the forest, then rubbed its head against his side like an affectionate predator.
Klein smiled and scratched behind its ears "Looks like we’re partners now."
Erica crossed her arms with a satisfied smile "Congratulations, disciple. You’ve successfully formed your first contract. Its speed and wind manipulation will complement your spear style."
She stepped closer, looking at the contract mark on Klein’s hand.
"Name it. A spirit’s name strengthens the bond."
Upon hearing this, Klein smiled "Then... Galaxy Destroyer."
Erica: (⚆ᗝ⚆) What the hell?
My disciple has a terrible naming sense.
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A/n: i have updated all characters’ images in the popularity section, you know, the section on mobile
