23 Glimpse Into the Unknown Ranks
Ding!
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully survived for one hour. The 6th level of the tutorial is complete.]
[You have 10 minutes of rest before the 7th level begins.]
Kael let out a deep breath, finally allowing his body to relax as he collapsed onto the cracked pavement of the ruined city. The blood-red moon still loomed high in the sky, its ominous glow painting the desolate streets in crimson hues.
His limbs ached, exhaustion creeping into his bones after the relentless battles he had endured. But despite the fatigue, a small smile crept onto his face.
He had survived.
For now.
With a sigh, Kael summoned his system interface, eager to see the progress he had made.
The familiar blue screen materialized before him, and he scanned through his updated stats.
Name: Kael Veran
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Job: Spirit Mancer (Mythic) level 5
Level: 6
EXP: Class 50% | Job 50%
HP: 150/150
MP: 75/75
Base Stats:
Strength: 5
Agility: 8
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 12
Luck: 4
Free Stat Points: 6
Job Skills:
Spirit Collection: Able to collect the spirit of any deceased organism within 5 hour of death within 10 meters of your radius.
Spirit Storage (Lv.2): Stores gathered spirits, including raw and synthesized spirits. (Capacity: 200)
Spirit Synthesis (Lv.1): Allows the creation of custom-made spirit familiars by merging multiple spirits. (Current Slots: 10/20)
Class Skills:
Charged Bolt (Lv.1): A ranged magic attack. (5 MP per use.)
Additional mana can be infused (1 MP per second) to increase power before firing. (Proficiency Level: 01%)
Arcane Sensory (Lv.1): Allows the user to perceive mana in the surroundings. (Passive Skill)(Proficiency Level: 51%)
Mana Manipulation (Lv.1): Your control over mana has improved due to the evolution of Mana Bolt. Allows for more refined spellcasting, reducing energy loss and increasing spell efficiency (Proficiency level: 0%)
Kael grinned at his new upgrades, the exhaustion momentarily pushed aside.
His Spirit Storage had doubled to 200 slots!
His Spirit Collection duration had extended to 5 hours.
His Spirit Synthesis slots had increased to 20.
This meant he could store, refine, and experiment with more spirits than ever before.
But, most important upgrade was his spirit collecting ability which now enabled him to gather spirits without touching them.
"Not bad," he murmured, feeling a spark of excitement at his newfound capabilities.
However, something caught his attention. Despite his significant progress in his job level, his class level was lagging behind.
"If I only focus on my job, my class level will stagnate," he thought.
After some contemplation, he adjusted his EXP distribution to 50% Class – 50% Job to balance his overall growth.
As he scrolled through his stored spirits, Kael reflected on the fallen players he had encountered.
He had expected to find more survivors, but instead, he had only found corpses.
The ones he managed to collect as spirits were different from monster spirits.
They retained their intelligence and human memories. However, their class skills had been stripped away.
Kael figured that the System must have restricted players from carrying over their skills in death.
Still, their intelligence made them valuable.
They could think, strategize, and adapt, making them perfect for Spirit Synthesis.
With that in mind, he merged his collected human spirits with Elite Zombie spirits, attempting to create a new type of undead.
Result was getting 5 Elite- Spirits with intelligence, reasoning, and tactical ability.
Despite the success, Kael felt a twinge of regret.
"I had to use up five of my Spirit Synthesis slots just to create them."
He shook his head. The payoff was worth it—now, he had spirits that could think for themselves.
Kael wasn't done yet.
With his remaining Elite Spirits, he attempted another synthesis.
After feeding multiple Elite+ spirits into the process, he held his breath as the result came in.
[Spirit Synthesis Result: Success]
[New Spirit Created: Rare- Spirit]
Kael froze.
"Rare?"
He immediately called up the system, asking about monster rankings.
Surprisingly, the system provided an answer.
[Monster Rankings]
Normal → Elite → Rare → Unique → Epic → Legendary → Mythic
Each rank was further divided into - and + categories, indicating relative strength within the same rank.
Kael's eyes widened in shock.
He already had a Rare- Spirit!
He knew this meant he was far ahead of other players.
Encouraged, he attempted a few more Spirit Syntheses, but the best he could create was one additional Elite+ spirit.
At the end he had,
15 Normal Spirits
05 Elite- Spirits (Former Human Players)
27 Elite Spirits
04 Elite+ Spirits
01 Rare- Spirit
Total Spirits being 52.
Kael could hardly contain his excitement at how powerful his army had become.
If he could create a Rare- Spirit at Level 6, how much stronger could he become by the end of the tutorial?
As Kael was still processing his gains, his attention shifted to his human spirits.
Anna, Ruby, Ron, Jack, and Adam—the five former players who now served as undead spirits—were engaged in a friendly brawl.
They tested their newfound physical strength, throwing light punches, dodging, and grappling, while the rest of the spirits remained motionless, awaiting orders.
Kael watched with amusement, noting how human knowledge and combat instincts made them significantly more versatile than the mindless zombies.
He leaned back against a broken car, still amazed by how much his army had grown.
Just as Kael let himself relax for a moment, a new system notification popped up.
[System Notification: The 7th Level is about to begin.]
Kael exhaled sharply, standing up.
The momentary peace was over.
The next challenge was about to start.