Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner-Chapter 36 - : Custom Tombstones, New Lizard Summons

Karl lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind still processing everything that had just happened.

The [Entrance Examination] was over.

He had been accepted into [Starlight Academy], one of the most prestigious institutions for Awakeners, and now he had two days to prepare before the entrance ceremony.

It should have been a moment of relief, a chance to rest, but Karl had something far more important to do first.

He exhaled and closed his eyes.

"Spirit Cemetery," he whispered.

The moment he spoke those words, his consciousness shifted.

The real world faded, replaced by a dark, eerie landscape.

The atmosphere was the same as always, gloomy, yet strangely quiet.

Skeletal trees stretched toward a sky covered in swirling gray mist, and the dark green grass swayed slightly, though there was no wind.

It was a place of death, yet it didn't feel hostile.

Karl stood in the middle of it all, scanning his surroundings as dozens of tombstones slowly emerged from the ground, one after the other.

The number had increased.

One hundred sixty-three tombstones now stood in neat rows, each one representing a spirit contained within him.

Most were simple and uniform, gray slabs of stone with no distinguishing features.

However, Karl immediately noticed two that were different from the others.

He walked toward them, reading the inscriptions.

[Here lies Kevin Croner, owner of "Shadow Assassin."]

Karl narrowed his eyes.

This was the tombstone of the man he had killed during the third trial.

Unlike the others, it was black with jagged, shadowy cracks running across its surface.

Two daggers were embedded at the top, radiating a faint, dark aura.

'So this is what a human spirit tombstone looks like...' Karl thought, tilting his head.

It was unique.

Different from the others.

He moved on to the second one.

[Here lies Elite Lizard Commander.]

The tombstone for the boss monster he had defeated.

Unlike the Shadow Assassin's, this one had a deep green hue, and unlike any other tombstone, it was clad in armor.

A spear was stabbed into the ground beside it, its tip glowing with ominous energy.

Karl's theory had been correct: boss monsters and humans had distinct tombstones.

Perhaps it was to signify their higher status?

Maybe they were different in some way beyond just appearance?

It was something to think about later.

The rest of the tombstones were normal.

Even the ones belonging to his summons, though slightly larger than the others, looked the same as always.

Each displayed a small, engraved image of the summon it belonged to, along with a level and a status.

Karl glanced at the status section, frowning slightly.

[Status: Alive (?)]

The question mark was still there.

He had noticed it before, but he still wasn't sure what it meant.

A spirit was either alive or dead, there shouldn't be an in-between.

Yet, if a summon perished, their tombstone crumbled into dust.

So why was there a question mark?

Karl shook his head, pushing the thought aside.

Right now, he had more important things to do.

He focused, activating [Link] twice to create two new summons.

Immediately, the air around the cemetery shifted as fifty spirit tombstones trembled before glowing with an eerie light.

The ground cracked, and from within the tombstones, a single form began to take shape.

The glow faded, revealing a humanoid lizard standing at 1.8 meters tall.

It was covered in scaly green skin, wearing simple chest armor, and gripping a sword in one hand.

A normal summon or so Karl thought.

Then, he noticed something strapped to its back: a bow.

Karl raised an eyebrow.

"Hey," he called, "Can you use that bow?"

The lizard turned its head, reached over its shoulder, and pulled the weapon free.

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Holding it with both hands, it smoothly drew back the string.

An arrow of pure energy materialized in its grasp before being loosed in an instant.

The arrow flew through the air, striking the ground dozens of meters away.

Karl smirked, "A melee and ranged fighter, huh? That's new."

It seemed that since all the spirits used to create this summon had been lizards, it had adapted by gaining proficiency in both weapons.

That was useful but Karl wasn't done yet.

He activated [Link] again, this time using the [Shadow Assassin] profession spirit and the [Elite Lizard Commander] boss monster.

A violent vortex of energy erupted around the cemetery.

The air grew heavier, and the ground trembled as the fusion process began.

Karl watched as a dense aura wrapped around the merging spirits, their power colliding and reshaping into something new.

Then, the energy settled.

Standing before him was a humanoid lizard, but this one was different.

[Shadow Assassin Lizard]

It was taller than the first, nearly 2 meters, and unlike its armored counterpart, it wore no protection.

Instead, it took on a stealthy stance, its movements calculated and precise.

It wielded twin daggers, both radiating an ominous dark glow.

Karl immediately knew this one was strong.

'It belongs in my [Boss-Type Spirits] list.'

That list had grown to three now.

The [Sovereign Wolf] with its powerful [Void blade].

The [Orc King] who could still fight despite missing an arm, and now the [Shadow Assassin Lizard].

Adding this new assassin lizard to the mix gave him another powerful unit.

Karl sighed, glancing at the overall numbers.

[Summon Cemetery: 15/50]

Fifteen summons.

That should be enough for now.

With this, he felt more prepared for [Starlight Academy].

No matter what challenges awaited him, he wouldn't be caught off guard.

Still, instead of leaving immediately, Karl remained in the cemetery, standing quietly among the tombstones.

His real body was resting, and there was no need to wake up just yet.

Here, in this space, time felt different.

There was no rush, no distractions, only him and his spirits.

His gaze shifted to the far end of the cemetery.

There, hidden away from the tombstones, stood the ominous door.

The one that led to the [World of Spirits].

It loomed before him, silent yet unyielding, as if waiting for him to step inside.

Karl stared at it, remembering the warning.

[You shouldn't open it until you are at least level 50, if you do not want to instantly die.]

That's what the reaper had told him, and right now, he was only level 18.

In two more levels, he would reach 20 and have to undergo the [Specialized Class] process.

That alone would be a major turning point.

There were many things to do.

[Starlight Academy.]

[The Tower's Tutorial.]

[His Specialized Class.]

His path was set.

He just had to keep moving forward.

For now, Karl simply closed his eyes and let the quiet of the cemetery surround him.

He could sense his summons moving in the distance, shifting, interacting with one another.

And he waited.