The village square was filled with nervous energy.
Children stood in line, barely keeping still, as the Grand Elder of the village prepared to awaken their martial souls. Parents and siblings watched with eager eyes.
Karim stood alone at the end of the line, arms crossed, seawater still clinging to his skin from his morning swim. His face was calm.
> "Today is the first step. No more guessing. No more dreaming. I will find out what weapon I've been training to carry."
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🌀 The Awakening Begins
One by one, the Grand Elder summoned his spirit—a dull yellow ring spinning below his feet—and awakened the martial souls of the children.
"Fishing Net."
"Saltweed."
"Clam Pearl."
"Crab Claw."
—Common, weak, unfit for cultivation.
Then came Karim.
"Your turn," the elder said, his eyes lingering on the strange, quiet boy.
Karim stepped forward and knelt.
The elder pressed a hand to his back and channeled his spirit power.
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⚡ A Sudden Pressure
The moment spirit energy flowed into Karim's core, the air around him cracked—a flash of silver-blue light erupting from his chest.
Water from nearby jars and buckets lifted into the air, swirling in a tight cyclone around his body. The villagers gasped.
Then—boom.
A massive, glowing hammer appeared in Karim's hand, forged from water pressure and deep-blue iron, lined with vein-like silver marks.
It looked like it had been dragged from the depths of the ocean, still dripping with salt and power.
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💬 "Abyssal Tide Hammer."
The elder froze, eyes wide.
"This... this isn't a beast tool or village soul... This is a power-type martial soul with a tide affinity."
Karim gripped the hammer with one hand—effortlessly, despite its weight. He could feel it. It wasn't a weapon of the surface. It was made to crush bones, shatter armor, break tides.
> "Perfect."
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📈 Spirit Power Test
The elder touched a crystal orb to Karim's chest. Light pulsed.
"…Innate Spirit Power… Eight?!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
No one in the village had ever awakened with more than Rank 3.
"Send word to the city," someone whispered.
"He could join the Spirit Master Academy—or Shrek Youth Division, if we're lucky."
But Karim wasn't listening.
His thoughts were calm, collected.
> "Now I have a weapon. All that's left is to sharpen it."
---
🔨 That Night
Karim sat alone by the shore, the Abyssal Tide Hammer floating silently beside him, its surface rippling with faint water energy.
He watched the moonlight shimmer on the sea.
> "You were forged in the deep. Just like me."
He didn't smile.
He just closed his eyes.
And began to swing it—slow, perfect movements—letting the hammer pull at his balance, testing his muscles, shaping his form.