Chapter 34: Intermediate Rank-1

As Ain continued to circulate his spirit energy, the attraction from his spirit core that only appeared intermittently before suddenly manifested with full force.

The spirit ring was fiercely attracted towards the spirit core. The spirit ring’s circumference decreased the closer it got, and like gravity, the pulling force increased as well.

Soon, the spirit ring tightly clasped the spirit core, as if it attempting to meld with it.

At the same time, a suffocating sensation spread throughout Ain’s mind. He felt as if he was thrown into a tiny box, and now the walls began to close in.

Ain didn’t panic and continued to observe the process with Introspect. His spirit ring, which used to be revolving around the spirit core, was now firmly adhered to it, as if it had been soldered to it.

After the claustrophobic sensation subsided, a vast amount of spirit energy suddenly surged into his body. It reminded Ain of the moment he reached Beginner Rank-1.

As if the spirit core had suddenly transformed into a black hole, all the surrounding spirit energy was drawn towards it while Ain’s spirit energy continued to skyrocket.

The phenomenon continued for a few minutes until Ain’s spirit energy reserves doubled.

Soon after that, everything began to calm down, eventually returning to the previous, tranquil state, as if nothing had just occurred.

Ain saw that his spirit ring was slowly fusing with the spirit core. He smiled as his eyes gleamed with joy.

“Intermediate Rank-1.”

A spirit tamer reached Beginner Rank-1 after condensing their spirit ring. When the branding process began, they would reach Intermediate Rank-1.

‘After the branding is completed, I’ll reach Advanced Rank-1,’ Ain thought, looking forward to the next breakthrough.

After reaching Advanced Rank-1, he would finally be able to use ring spells. He had received Haunt, a Rank-1 ring spell, from the spirit academy upon contracting his first spirit pet.

Since Nox, a ghost pet, was affiliated with his first spirit ring, Ain would gain the ability to use ghost-attributed ring spells, or ghost spells.

This would bolster his arsenal, allowing him to make up for some of his deficiencies.

But before Ain could think further, he sensed another change, originating from the spirit ring. It was different from his breakthrough. It was more like when…

Without another thought, Ain summoned Nox.

As soon as it appeared, a spirit energy vortex formed, with Nox as the core. Similar to Ain, it absorbed a vast amount of spirit energy as its reserves were augmented.

Ain could clearly sense Nox’s spirit energy rising past Beginner Rank-1.

“Wooo…” It let out a howl-like sound and immediately flew over to Ain. It circled around him, sometimes passing through him.

After witnessing all this, another smile appeared on Ain’s face. “You’ve also reached Intermediate Rank-1.”

“Wooo…” Nox replied with a cheer.

“Meow.” The cat sensed their joy and let out a cry of acknowledgment.

Ain was happy with Nox’s breakthrough, but it further made him aware of another issue. The fact that Nox reached Intermediate Rank-1 immediately after he did meant that its rank was being suppressed by Ain.

A spirit pet’s rank couldn’t exceed their spirit tamer’s rank. If Ain didn’t want to become a restraint for his spirit pets, he had to increase his training speed.

Ain kept these thoughts in his mind and moved his attention to Nox and the cat, who already began their mischiefs.

After playing together for a little while, Nox started to absorb the Ectoplasm while the cat rested near the Ice Crystal.

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Although the cat’s absorption speed was slow, its energy was gradually strengthening.

Ain watched over them for a while before he continued to consolidate his strength, and sense the new changes brought by his recent breakthrough.

While circulating his meditation technique, Ain noted that a much larger amount of spirit energy was being absorbed by his body, nourishing, and strengthening it.

The passive improvement toward his physique from the meditation technique had increased. This was due to the change in both the quality, and the quantity of his spirit energy.

Ain rode on the momentum of his breakthrough and continued training. In the evening, he completed his body tempering training before ending the day with more meditation.

…

It was Monday morning, and the sun had already graced the city with its presence.

And like every Monday since the Spirit Awakening Ceremony, Ain was already seated in the classroom.

On his way here, he saw numerous students walking alongside their spirit pets. This was already the case last week, but it increased exponentially after the weekend.

Ain could effortlessly discern the reason. As per Teacher Turner’s expectations, every students reached Beginner Rank-1 after the third week.

The spirit academy took great consideration when designing the classrooms. Spirit pets sizes varied vastly, but the classroom wasn’t crowded at all. In fact, it still seemed spacious.

Although Ain inclined towards keeping his cards hidden, that wasn’t the case for most of his peers. There were all kinds of spirit pets jumping around the classroom, kicking up a racket.

Just earlier, a black and blue snake sneakily appeared on Ain’s desk and stared at him with curiosity.

Of course, Ain had already sensed it as soon as it was within range. It was only a Rank-0 Spirit Pet, and it probably had a camouflage skill, allowing it to blend into the surroundings.

It was soon retrieved by a female classmate, who was flustered at her spirit pet’s disappearance.

Ain wondered if she knew was aware of the telepathic communication between a spirit tamer and their spirit pets. It was unlikely for a spirit tamer to lose track of their spirit pet.

This was only a small interlude for Ain.

Soon, Hugo also entered the classroom, and they began chatting.

After the first few weeks, everyone was already aware of Ain’s usual behavior. He was mostly quiet unless someone initiated a conversation. And how long this conversation lasted depended on how familiar they were with Ain.

Now, other than some greetings or remarks, only Hugo casually conversed with him.

Hugo followed Ain’s example and didn’t summon his Grand Eagle. Although Ain didn’t care, Hugo found it awkward to have his spirit pet around while Ain didn’t.

It had been a week since Hugo contracted his Grand Eagle. His father had named it Ace, and Hugo was happy with the name.

Amidst the students’ chattering, Teacher Turner finally arrived.

The voices quickly died down, and some students even recalled their spirit pets.

As usual, Teacher Turner silently made his way towards the front of the class while observing the students. Because of his naturally intimidating appearance, the mood usually became tenser than it needed to be.

He paused for a few seconds after reaching the front before nodding.

“Great, everyone has reached Beginner Rank-1. You didn’t let me down.” Teacher Turner revealed a rare smile and praised his students.

Without waiting for the students' reaction, he continued.

“But don’t let it get to your heads. I’ve met spirit tamers twice my age who are still stuck at Beginner Rank-1. You’ll have to work even harder if you wish to continue advancing.”

The students, whose excitement was about to bubble over, quickly calmed down after Teacher Turner’s remark. They should’ve seen it coming.

“Now, let’s move on to some reminders. If you haven’t already, go to the spell repository to receive your free spells when you have the time.”

“Next, the class competition is next Monday, so you’ll have a week to prepare yourself. Remember, participation is mandatory, so don’t slack off.”

“Also, now that you’ve all contracted your first spirit pet, be mindful, and don’t summon them needlessly. You can summon them during my class period, but don’t do that for your other subjects unless you’re told to do so. Understand?”

The students all nodded their heads, while more students recalled their spirit pets.

“Any questions?” Teacher Turner asked as he glanced around the classroom. Seeing no response, he moved on.

“Okay, then let’s start the morning training session. I’ll be here in the classroom, those who want to train can head to the training hall.”

After Teacher Turner finished, the students got up to start their tasks.

Some headed towards the training hall, while others stayed behind for Teacher Turner’s guidance.

Ain got up and was about to head over to Teacher Turner but stopped when he saw the awaiting crowd of students.

Instead, Ain briefly informed Hugo and left the classroom, heading towards the spell repository.

With Teacher Turner’s reminder, Ain thought back his previous visit to the spell repository, as well as the other core spells he saw.

Ain already mastered all the spells in his arsenal. He could use them subconsciously, without having to go through the process of visualization, where he needed to consciously trace the spell rune in his mind with spirit energy.

He just reached Intermediate Rank-1, and Advanced Rank-1 was still ways off, which would allow him to use ring spells. That being the case, Ain planned on learning more core spells in the meantime.

After a few minutes, Ain found himself in the spell repository again. He spotted the familiar old man behind the desk, fiddling with his hololink again.

When Ain approached, the old man glanced at him before asking, “Ain Weisman, right?”

“Yes.” Ain replied courteously. He seemed to have left an impression on the old man.

“Here’s the catalog, let me know when you’ve decided.” The old man handed Ain the digital catalog before turning back to his hololink. A few chuckles sounded soon after.

Ain received the catalog and opened the section for Rank-1 core spells.

He already memorized all the Rank-1 spells available during his previous visit. With great familiarity, Ain found the Rank-1 core spells. He had already set his mind on two spells.