[Welcome to your grave yard]
That was the text that flashed across Zich's retina, but it barely registered because his attention was focused on the scenery before him, where thousands of graveyards stretched so far he could not see the end.
The whole place was chilling cold and eerily quiet.
It was the kind of scene where most people would feel fear and unease, but Zich felt strangely comfortable here and even preferred this place to the outside world because it made him feel at peace, like he could stay here for decades and never get tired.
Slowly he stepped down from the hill, his feet pressing into the wet soil as he walked down the slope until he arrived at the first tombstone, which had the name of the slime he killed engraved on it.
Looking closely, he found a total of five tombstones with similar engravings written on them.
The dots were easily connected. They were none other than the same monster he had killed.
"But now what?" Zich asked no one in particular, his voice echoing across the deserted graveyard.
As if replying to his question, a system screen appeared before him with two options.
[Create a new summon or absorb]
[However first of all host is advised to view his status first]
"Status?"
Name: Zich Grave
Race: Human
Class: [SSS Spirit Summoner]
Level 1
Health: 100
Intelligence: 1
Strength: 10 Agility: 9
Stamina: 15 Mana: 10
[Current Tombstone slot 5/5]
[Current Summon: none]
Skills: none
…
"15 stamina, those nights in the graveyard were not for nothing." He chuckled darkly.
After taking a quick look at his stats, which were more impressive than most, though he did not know this, he closed the system screen and moved to the previous screen.
But there was a dilemma. He was conflicted on which of the options to go with.
A part of him wanted to go with absorb, as it was always smart to empower oneself. Although he did not know how the others' stats looked, he felt his was impressive enough, which left him with the other option.
Create a summon.
….
In the real world, a boy with handsome features and white hair was lying unconscious in a clearing. Up close, it was Zich whose consciousness was currently in another dimension.
Growl! Growl!
A pair of wolf monsters with red eyes emitted savage growls as they slowly approached the unconscious boy, saliva dripping from their mouths, sharp bloody fangs slightly exposed.
"To think he would fall asleep in the middle of the forest just like that. These kids cannot stop amazing me."
A marvelled voice came from the side, attracting the attention of the monsters who had been looking forward to snacking on the delicacy lying asleep there.
The moment they laid their eyes on the two men in long coats, the wolves did something shocking. They turned and fled into the bush as fast as they could after sensing that the two could easily deal with them without lifting a finger.
Naturally, the two were the same guides who had been overlooking the new batch of players.
They had been following Zich for quite some time as he had stood out more compared to the others.
When he had suddenly collapsed out of the blue, they had decided to check up on him.
The one who had spoken first quietly pressed a finger on the side of his neck and then frowned.
"He's still alive."
"Maybe he's just drained?" His partner shrugged.
"That I doubt." The first man shook his head. "This kid does not look exhausted at all. He could have pushed further if he wanted to."
"So what are you saying?" The second man narrowed his eyes slightly.
With a look of uncertainty in his eyes, he spoke. "I think the kid somehow found a way to access his soul sea."
"How is that possible? Players can only access that once they step into level 10."
"That is the only reasonable explanation for this," the first man said, convinced.
"Alright, let us wait for him to wake and ask."
"Is that not revealing ourselves?"
"Not necessary. I have a plan."
Unaware that his body was lying out in the forest and could have been devoured by ten wolves if the Player Association had not interfered, Zich was still pondering on which choice to take.
"Absorb would make me stronger but only me," he muttered to himself. "However, a summon would make me weaker individually but safer. Strength is useless if I die early."
With the number of players he had buried as a grave keeper, the last thing he wanted was to become one of them.
For now, surviving came first. Power could come later.
Besides, he was a summoner, not a warrior. So it was only right he fought like one.
With that in mind, he said confidently, "Create a summon."
[Ding! Fusing X3 normal slime and X2 poisonous slime]
The moment the words left his mouth, the five tombstones began to tremble slightly. The wet soil around them loosened, and faint blue light started to leak out from the cracks in the stones.
Eyes narrowed, he watched with strict attention, not wanting to miss anything.
At first it was slight, but soon the wet soil around them started to loosen and sink. Cracks formed at the base of each tombstone, and the ground slowly swallowed them bit by bit.
He raised an eyebrow as if asking what next. Even before he could complete his thoughts, the soil began to rise, pushed up from below by something.
Slowly, a new tombstone emerged from the earth. This tombstone was different from the previous ones. It was larger, darker, and the words engraved on it were much bolder.
He stepped closer and looked at the name written on it.
[Here Lies Level 1 Poisonous Slime]
Instinctively, he called out, "Come out."
At his words, a ball of dark blue liquid mixed with faint green slowly oozed out from inside the tombstone. The liquid dropped onto the ground and began to move, gathering together in one place.
It trembled, then slowly formed a small round body.
Two small black eyes appeared on its face. Inside its dark blue body, faint green lines moved slowly like something alive flowing inside it.
The small slime bounced once on the spot, then turned toward him.
At the same time, the system screen appeared.
[You have created a summon]
[Poisonous Slime]
Level 1
Rank: Normal
[Description: A harmless-looking slime that can shoot corrosive poison. The higher its level, the stronger its poison becomes.
Summoning Cost: 5 Mana
Maintenance Cost: 1 Mana per minute]
He looked at the small slime quietly for a few seconds, thinking of what name to give it, but after a few minutes he gave up and decided to check out its skills in the real world.
Though this place was comfortable, too comfortable, he did not know what the current state of his body was like, so he needed to head back.
"Return?" he said slowly, skeptical, not expecting to truly vanish from his graveyard.
His eyelids twitched for a few seconds before his eyes finally opened and he sat up straight, only to find two men staring at him with frowns on their faces.
"Hey bro, are you okay? We saw you lying down unconscious. Do you mind telling us what happened?"
***
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