Rebirth Of The Bastard Spirit Summoner

Stark left the blacksmith with a load of debt and an overfed spirit in his arms.

Thankfully, the merchant did not call the city guards on him, if not, he might have had to escape the city, which would be terrible considering he still had a lot to do here.

They arrived at the inn late into the night. Thanks to his handy relic, he was able to always keep track of time.

The inn they were staying at was one of the cheaper places in the city. Faded blocks, washed paint, and overgrown vines were the theme, and the creaky door would always announce their arrival.

Not bothering to greet anyone, Stark went straight to his room, with Jade not far behind him, holding the fat spirit Chubby in her hands.

When they arrived at their door, he pulled out the key from his pocket and unlocked the room before stepping inside.

Stark walked up to the window and pushed it open, allowing the cold night air in. It was a cloudy night with grey clouds so thick that they blocked out the moon, allowing only a little light to seep in.

"So what are we going to do about him? Are we just going to watch him until he ascends?"

Jade placed the spirit on one side of the bed, took off her shoes, and floated above it to the other side. She wrapped the blanket around her body before speaking.

"I don't know… you're the spirit medium, not me."

Stark stared at her blankly before turning on the lamp, the magic crystal fluttering to life—illuminating the room in a cool white light.

He took off his shirt and went down to the push-up position while Jade watched him curiously.

"You're really doing that this night?"

Stark had already started his workout…

"I have to stay in form if I want to beat Theron. I'm nowhere near his level right now."

He could not have beaten Caylus without proper preparation and trickery… If a Crusader-ranked knight like him dragged him to death's door, what then of a paragon like Theron?

Jade kept watching him as he completed step after rep, moving on to new exercises. Throughout that time, Stark couldn't help but think she was pondering something.

She had that look on her face…

The same look she had when they fought the banshees shortly after his rebirth.

The look that said he was talking about the impossible.

"Come on, out with it. What do you want to say?"

She blinked. "Huh? How do you know?"

'Does she think she's that unreadable?' Stark mused.

"It's just a hunch…"

She frowned, then pulled the blanket closer. Meanwhile, Chubby was still silent, with his eyes closed. He had not made a single sound since swallowing Stark's net worth of goods.

"I don't know how it was during your time, but back when I was in the academy, Paragons were not the kind of people to trifle with…"

"In the past, I wanted to become a paragon." She said, staring up into space as though she was reliving that very moment.

"Then I met one… the calamity-class sword saint, Lorelei Rain."

She smiled. "I gave up on my dreams that day."

Stark listened to her with his arms crossed as he contemplated her words.

"Lorelei Rain, now that is a name I remember well."

Jade immediately sat up straight. "Wait, is she still alive?!"

"Vibrant, in fact. Although she is no longer a member of the king's guard."

"Huh… I thought she would have definitely died by now," Jade said, her lips pursed.

"Anyways, it doesn't matter how strong Theron is. During her time, the sword saint was special even among the Paragons, and even if Theron is just as strong, all I have to do is get stronger."

Jade laid back down and stared up at the ceiling. "I guess you're right—but you'll never beat him the way you are now."

His eyes narrowed slightly. It was obvious that he was nowhere near Theron's level as he was now, but Stark felt there was a deeper meaning behind her words.

"What do you mean?"

Jade closed her eyes and turned to the other side. "I haven't slept in over ten years. I'm going to bed. Good night," she said, ending the conversation.

"Wait, before you sleep…"

She opened her eyes. "What?"

"I… need a sword, a very heavy one."

The corners of her lips curled upward, and Stark was sure she was going to tease him about his swords that had become food.

She had always seemed a bit upset about it, probably because she was an endless supply of weapons.

But she only scoffed proudly, still wrapped up in the blanket as she created one and sent it floating into his hands.

But as he held onto it, he nearly fell, the weight of the sword throwing him off.

It was as though hundred-kilogram weights were tied to the sword, pulling it down.

"Wait, this is far too heavy—"

Before he could finish his sentence, she disappeared, the sound of her light laughter reaching his ears as she settled in his soul.

Stark lifted the blade, feeling his hands trembling as he got ready to do the first slash.

Swish!

The weapon cut through the air, creating a whistling sound.

"One out of one thousand…"

By the 100th strike, Stark collapsed, breathing heavily and smelling of sweat.

His arms were throbbing and his heart hammering in his chest as he stared up at the ceiling, unable to move a single muscle.

There were times when he felt like this—days where he worked out to the point of absolute exhaustion.

"Chubby, I need a heal…"

Silence.

It was then Stark remembered that the little guy was still in the process of ascension. Without his healing, he would spend a good minute here, waiting for his body to recover.

He sighed.

"I guess it's time I visited that place."

Stark reached into his mind and tugged on the invisible string. The moment he did, the world around him faded into nothing, the scenery of the inner world bleeding into view.

Here, he could move his body perfectly well.

"More training? Nah, I should probably just rest…" Stark thought out loud as he walked up to the cabin and sat by the porch.

He sat there for just a few seconds before jumping back to his feet.

"Damn it, I'm bored." He was surrounded by a beautiful but empty world, and he did not want to create anything…

Especially after what happened the last time he went too far. Who knew what would happen if he was to do so in the state his body currently was?

It was not like he had Chubby to fix him up if something bad happened.

'I guess I'll just check on the little guy.'

Stark took a deep breath and summoned him into his soul, and the little guy appeared in mid-air, falling into his grasp.

But the moment he touched his hands, he suddenly began to glow, and then he erupted…