Adrenaline Junkie [Book 2 Complete]

Archie's eyes snapped open.

He wasn't in Bralmir's spaceship anymore, nor did he have his mug filled with beer beside him.

He was in a vast, empty white area. There were no walls, nor a table in sight, just white extending on forever in all directions, it was very reminiscent of the space where he first encountered the System Aspect.

However, before he could even squint, the world around him began to shift.

The light faded, hardened, until a sudden ripple passed under his feet, feeling very much like an earthquake. He would know, considering he was almost crushed to death by one.

Shapes began to form all around him, distant and slow at first, before picking up tempo.

Four sides of the bright white space began to change.

A twisted mountain range erupted out of the ground, rock grinding on rock as spires thrust towards the sky. Wind shrieked along its snow-white ridges, and just above the mountain range was a cloud raining down snow.

Opposite it, water surged up in a spiral whirlpool before plunging into an infinite, bottomless ocean. Waves lapped over a beach that had not been there two seconds before.

Behind him, where the beach met the mountain range, the ground split open. A rocky hill surged upward, then hollowed inward before bursting wide. A volcano erupted into existence, spewing molten lava that crawled down its flanks.

And at the last corner, opposite to the volcano, the white floor crumbled inwards and turned brown as a massive ravine was created.

Just as he thought everything was over, the ground beneath him shifted. The white expanse he'd assumed was the hub area transformed into grass, vibrant and real. Moments later, tree saplings popped out from the earth, and in the blink of an eye, they grew from being no taller than a penny to becoming more than fifty meters tall, creating a forest all around him.

Archie slowly blinked, taking it all in. "… Okay."

The system chimed.

[TRIAL 1: BONDING RITE]
To begin your path as a Spirit Brawler of Nature, you must form a temporary contract with a spirit of your choosing. Use the knowledge temporarily granted to initiate the Rite of Communion. The spirit must accept you of its own will.
Time Limit: 15:59:47.
Location Restrictions: None.

A pulse of warmth flickered behind his eyes as the knowledge of how to perform a Rite of Communion was suddenly imprinted into his mind. Ah, so this is what the book meant by some trials would give you temporary knowledge and or skills.

Archie flexed his fingers and took a breath. "Alright then," he muttered. "I'm off to go and find me a spirit."

His gaze swept the four domains.

Each one pulsed with power. Each one promised something different.

The mountain, he assumed, was for Wind Spirits, judging by how tall some of the spires were. The sea, for Water Spirits. The volcano, for the Fire Spirits. And the ravine was meant for Earth Spirits.

He cracked his knuckles and let a grin come across his face. "Guess it's time to start walking."

***

Archie started off by heading toward the mountain range.

Of the four, it felt the least inviting due to its harsh and bare-looking environment, but somehow the most familiar of the four. There was something about the sharp edges, the cold air, the silence up high that tugged at his instincts. Maybe it was because the last time he went up a mountain trail, it ended horribly for him.

The terrain changed with every step he took. The flat ground beneath him cracked and shifted, rising gradually into craggy stone and steep inclines. Thin air hit his lungs, but it didn't bother him due to his current physical stats.

Occasionally, as he made his way up the mountain range, wind and snow whipped all around him, tugging at his Bralmir-created clothes. Far above, a hawk-like cry echoed through the peaks. He paused, glancing up.

"Alright," Archie muttered, raising both hands. "Listen here, I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk."

He stepped into a small clearing atop a mountain within the many that made up the mountain range. A tall rock stood at its center, flat-topped, like an altar or a place to sit and enjoy the view.

Following the knowledge granted by the System for the Rite of Communion, his hands began to move on their own, guided entirely by the instructions given to him.

Drawing in a slow breath, he let mana gather at his fingertips, then knelt before the stone. His fingers etched glowing lines into the surface, forming a circle of pale green and white light, infused with his intent. Then he began to chant:

"O Spirit of Wind, so swift and free,
Messenger of sky and destiny,

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On feathered breeze, I call thee near–
Draw close, and let thy voice be clear.
By breath and breeze, by gale and gust,
On unseen wings, come forth, I trust."

The ritual circle pulsed.

A gust of wind slammed down from the cliffs above, which was then followed by something heavy landing behind him and sending out a spray of snow on impact.

"Why do you call me human?"

Turning around, Archie saw a massive hawk made out of hardened, light green colored air.

[Wind Spirit Lv ???]

Archie straightened his back. "I want to form a contract with you."

The hawk's eyes narrowed, twin cyclones swirling within them. It cocked its head slightly, like it was debating something. The wind around it stirred again, becoming sharp around his own neck before returning to normal.

"So that is why I've been brought into this place," it said, looking a bit off into the distance. "You lack the strength to shoulder a contract of mine; your body would shatter under the weight of a Moderate Spirit of Wind."

"Instead, search for Low Elemental Spirits," it offered. "They would be much more agreeable to forming a temporary contract with your current strength."

Before Archie could say anything else, the spirit beat its wings once before dispersing into a spiral of green and white air.

Silence returned to the mountain.

Archie blinked at the empty space where the spirit had stood while rubbing his own neck. "…Well, that could've gone worse."

He stepped back from the ritual circle, rubbing his neck. "I did not expect to accidentally get the attention of a C-Grade in here… I guess I need to tweak the chant and circle somewhat to just be able to commune with spirits on my level."

Thinking back on what the giant hawk said, spirits within the trial weren't created by the System for the sake of this trial he was undergoing; they were denizens of the Multiverse, same as himself, and were brought into his trial.

And considering he'd nearly died to that very bird just for mentioning a contract, he needed to be absolutely certain he wasn't about to commune with something that could kill him without a second thought.

Archie took a breath and looked down at the slowly fading ritual circle. The mana lines were already beginning to lose their glow, dissipating into the stone altar beside him.

"Alright," he muttered, clapping his hands together once. "I guess I'll find somewhere else to do this at, because I'm not risking calling it again and having it change its mind and tear off my head."

He turned, scanning the terrain around him. His eyes settled on the towering volcano in the distance, its peak still glowing faintly beneath a thick and dark veil of smoke. However, instead of wanting to head for the volcano's summit, he decided the Rite of Communion would be best performed at the volcano's base, near the slow-moving rivers of lava, hoping that it would offer less of a chance to summon a C-Grade Fire or Magma Spirit.

"Let's try fire," he murmured to himself.

The idea had potential. If he could bond with a Low Flame Spirit, it could enhance his fire-based techniques when channeling a Fire Attuned Beastcore or Elemental Core through Spirit Bond, or maybe just using the contract by itself would allow him to get into a Spirit Bond without a core.

Maybe even let him imbue weapons or gear with Fire Attunements when forging. He wasn't sure yet what the limits were for a spirit contract could go, there hadn't exactly been a handbook offered to him about them, but it was worth asking once he found a spirit willing to talk.

The air grew denser with each step Archie took toward the volcano's base. The scent of sulfur grew stronger, lingering in his lungs with each and every breath he took. Warmth radiated from all directions around him, however, not a trickle of sweat went down his face. He'd endured hotter heat from standing beside his very own forge, caused by his Forgesmith's Flame.

Briefly, the path shifted from crushed black stone to a plateau overlooking one of the slow-moving lava rivers. It blazed hot, enraged orange, molten-rock veins pulsating and changing like blood through an open wound. It was a hypnotic sight, nearly alive.

Archie knelt at the edge of the overlook and watched the thick magma flow down the slope at will.

It reminded him of the volcano during his Group Tutorial.

Did all volcanoes look the same? Or was my sample size of two not reliable?

"Alright," he said under his breath, standing back up.

He knelt near the edge, choosing a stable slab of basalt to draw on. Channeling mana to his fingertips, he etched another circle, smaller than the one before, but this one carried a denser mana imprint on it.

His circle mana began to glow dull crimson now as he etched the sigils of fire and flame that were imbued with his intent of finding a Low Fire Spirit. The glyphs within the circle curved more, shaped like tongues of flame and swirling embers, a vast difference between the Wind ritual circle he drew back atop the mountain he climbed.

He let his mana settle into the ritual, then began to speak.

"Flame that flickers, ember bright,

I call not storm, nor raging tide,

but spark and glow that dwells inside.

If you hear, then lend your flame–

let us speak, and know each name."

The moment he finished, the ritual circle pulsed once, then again, faster as the air around him began to heat up. The heat thickened unnaturally, and a small gust of hot wind blew upward from the lava river, circling the platform like a breath held in anticipation.

Archie took a few steps back from the ritual circle to give whatever spirit that would come out some space.

Then, from the far side of the lava's edge, something stirred. A flicker of movement. A shape, no taller than his knee, rose out of the molten surface. It hovered just above the lava, its form fluid and flickering. Like a candle's flame had decided to walk.

Two eyes of brighter gold stared at him from within the molten shimmer of its body.

"...You called?" it said, voice light and crackling like firewood catching alight.

Archie blinked. Then slowly smiled.

"Yeah, I did," Archie answered to the candle flame. "Would you be willing to form a temporary contract with me?"

[Magma Spirit Lv 100]

Fire, magma, close enough.

The spirit tilted its head, flame flickering sideways with the motion. It drifted a little closer, its molten body casting dancing shadows along the basalt under their feet. Archie could feel the heat rolling off it.

"You seek a contract," the spirit said, voice thoughtful now, less surprised than before. "But who are you, human? And what is it you truly want from me?"

Archie lowered himself into a seated position on the stone, legs crossed. "Name's Archie. I'm a Spirit Brawler… or I will be, once I finish this Class Trial."

"A trial, so that's where I am now," the magma spirit said as it flickered lightly in the wind.

"No. Just a pocket plane or… something along those lines, I'm not sure, the System made this." He nodded at the lava river beside them. "I came here looking to bond with a spirit like yourself. One with Fire Affinity or something equivalent to it. I figured if we made a contract, I could channel your flames or magma Affinity into my attacks, or use it for forging gear."

The spirit hovered silently, as if weighing each word Archie gave. "You speak of using me as a tool, as something to do your bidding."

"Yes?" Archie blinked, then tilted his head. "Is that not what this whole thing is about?... I'm a bit new to this spirit contract thing, so I'm not really sure what the dos and don'ts are. But I'm pretty sure it's a you do something for me and I'll offer you something in return, like a normal job contract."