Author’s Corner: The writing! It keeps coming! Also, noticed a couple of reviews on the story, and wanted to clarify some things. People say that the characters haven’t really developed at all yet, and for the most part they are true, I will admit. However, that is intentional. To me, it is more meaningful for a character to develop slowly over time, and watch his growth as a person, compared to just getting slapped in the face and practically becoming someone else entirely.

Now, there are some people who complained that he made dumb choices in the first few chapters as well, and that is also true and intentional! If you recall, at that time he thought he was dead, and that this was all just a game in his own personal heaven. I mean, if your world went fifty shades of grey(literally, not the book. No bdsm jokes, people!) and you wound up in an empty landscape being told to make your own world, how many of you can honestly say that you wouldn’t arrive at a similar conclusion? Now, in the last couple chapters, he’s started to accept the world for what it is, rather than viewing it purely as a game. But, when it was a game, and he was given free reign to make a companion, why wouldn’t he go for a fantasy?

So basically, don’t expect rapid character development, because things like that don’t happen overnight! There are still sides of the characters that haven’t had a chance to be shown, due to the circumstances not presenting themselves yet!

Now, with that rant out of the way, hope everyone can enjoy another chapter!

Now that I had the possibly mutated boar spirit, I still had to figure out how to bring it out and fight for me. This was probably the most important feature for me out of all of the different classes. Just think, with my Keeper stats, I will be able to compete with even the strongest creatures in the world. Then, if I defeat those creatures, I could even add them to my own personal army to use as a fighting force in an invasion!

So again, I looked around, but instead of finding a new monster to subdue, I was aiming for something different. With the warm glow of mana flooding my eyes, I once more looked at the white smoke rising up from the ground, the spirits of the creatures that already died. I had no way to immediately tell what the spirits had once been without looking more closely, but there was no reason it should be anything stronger than what I encountered previously.

Walking over to the nearest column of smoke, I found myself standing under one of the larger trees in the area. No doubt whatever had died here properly became fertilizer for this tree, but now I have another use for it. Once again wrapping my hands in mana, I grasped onto the smoke and pulled. What appeared was a very vague form of a large quadruped, coming up roughly to my hips with its fat body.

A boar, maybe? I thought to myself, as the spirit was far too misshapen to properly identify it. No matter, I once again underwent the process of ‘contracting’ the spirit. This one did not seem to possess any rage or lingering emotions, and the mental wall between us was breached in but a moment. With that done, the spirit dispersed into gas, which slowly drifted into my body. Naturally, I looked inside of myself when this process was over, and found a second boar spirit. Though, this one was far more blurred and indistinct than the one I have been ‘raising’.

Successfully contracted Level 2 Razor Boar - Stage 1

As such, there was only one thing to do. Devour, I commanded the stronger spirit, which once again assaulted its ‘neighbor’. This time, rather than becoming smoke to surround and consume it, the boar spirit directly charged over and started ripping chunks out of its victim with its horns. Once the chunks were separated, they merged with the boar, until there was only one spirit remaining inside of me.

Level 2 Razor Boar consumed Level 2 Razor Boar. Stamina +0.2

Unfortunately, there was no notification of leveling up, but I couldn’t really expect to get a level every time I did something related to the class. Also, the bonus this time was smaller than what I had gotten from the rabbit, despite it being a higher level spirit… was that because it was a much older one?

I couldn’t be sure, so I decided to go to the next closest column of smoke, and repeat this process. The spirit this time was even more vague, appearing as an amorphous blob that came up to my knees. From its size and width, I could only assume it used to be a rabbit. Either way… as they say, Get in my belly!

Focusing my will on the misshapen ghost, I shattered what little defense it had while it sat there unmoving. As happened before, this spirit turned into a vacant white smoke which slowly flew into my body. And again, I ordered the boar spirit to consume it.

Successfully contracted Level 0 Normal Rabbit - Stage 1 Level 2 Razor Boar consumed Level 0 Normal Rabbit. No growth Spirit Tamer has leveled up! Contract Spirit ability has been unlocked! Feed Spirit ability has been unlocked! Absorb Spirit ability has been unlocked! Summon Spirit ability has been unlocked!

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I was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of blue windows after feeding the rabbit to the boar this time. From the looks of things, I finally hit level 5 as a Spirit Tamer, and unlocked the basic abilities to capture and raise a spirit beast. Though… now I had to figure out how to use them.

Summon Spirit, I thought in my mind, activating the skill. Or, attempting to at least.

Contracted spirit Razor Boar has insufficient Spiritual Energy to be summoned!

Well… what am I supposed to do about that?! Feed Spirit! I practically shouted in my mind.

Only one spirit possessed currently. No food source available.

Gritting my teeth, I moved to the next column of smoke and practically ripped it out of the ground. With my frustration, the pitiful rabbit spirit was instantly absorbed into my body. Feed Spirit!

Successfully contracted Level 1 Horned Rabbit - Stage 1. Please select the spirit to feed.

Level 2 Razor Boar: +0.5 Dexterity, +0.2 Stamina

Level 1 Horned Rabbit

I mentally selected the Razor Boar, and then when it asked which spirit to use as food, I chose the rabbit. Once again… I watched the Razor Boar devour the helpless and motionless rabbit spirit. Guess that’s not the right ability…

Level 2 Razor Boar consumed Level 1 Horned Rabbit. Dexterity +0.2

Sighing in frustration, I mentally activated Absorb Spirit, hoping to see any information it could provide. I really didn’t want to keep going at this with no results whatsoever.

No Spiritual Energy within range to absorb.

Oh… well, that’s something. That implies I don’t have to contract the spirit, just be near it. With a light nod of my head, I moved to yet another column of white smoke. This one seems to have been from multiple creatures, as the smoke rose from various areas around me. Absorb Spirit.

My next action was… not what I expected. Like when I wanted to speak with the frightened rabbit spirit, I felt my mana being channeled into my mouth. However, I did not dissipate the spirits with my voice this time. Rather, I took a deep breath, and… well, I breathed them in. At first, the white smoke showed signs of resisting, but I watched as it visibly struggled to fight against some invisible force, before flying directly into my mouth.

Out of curiosity, I directed my senses inward, and found a simple cloud of white gas near the boar. This cloud had no definite shape, no matter how I looked at it. It was simply a pure mass of Spiritual Energy. Feed Spirit?

Once again, I was given the prompt for which spirit to select to feed, but there was only one option. And, when it got to the next screen…

Please choose what food source you wish to give the Razor Boar.

Spiritual Energy 12 units.

As it was the only option, I chose the Spiritual Energy. Similarly to how I inhaled the smoke just moments ago, I watched as the boar turned towards the cloud and took a deep breath, inhaling it as well. Once it was done, it no longer looked like a gaseous boar, but seemed to have a solid, white shape.

Level 2 Razor Boar has advanced to Stage 2, and may now be summoned.

Finally! I gave a sigh of relief as the boar showed actual improvement, before giving the command to summon it. Carefully, I observed the movements my body made, and the flow of energy that occurred within me. I could clearly feel the boar starting to charge, as if it was a stampede throughout my entire body. In the next moment, it leapt into the air, and there was a white light shining from my chest.

This light seemed to act as a door, because the boar flew out of it a moment later to stand in front of me. Its eyes did not look at me with hostility, but with a vacantness, as if awaiting a command. “Uhm… roll over?” I spoke, unsure of what to do. However, once it heard that, the boar properly rolled over.

Or, it tried to at least. Fun fact, boars don’t roll very well. Once it got onto its side, it was a comedic scene of watching the boar kicking at the air and the ground to try to get onto its back and complete the roll. “Alright, alright, enough. Return?”

When I said that, the boar rolled itself back to its feet, and charged at me. Having an idea where this was going, I simply let it happen, and watched as the boar opened up another hole of light in my chest to dive into. When the light faded, the boar was nowhere to be seen. “Okay, well that’s cool.”

Finally, my work training my Spirit Tamer class was complete! Now, I could finally work on my next class. Given the training I did previously in the Admin Room, I decided to get the Monk class next. The requirement for this class was actually really easy, it’s just training it beyond that point is more difficult.

Finding an empty patch of grass and flowers, I sat down on the ground cross legged. In order to acquire the Monk class, I simply had to meditate. Clear my mind, sense the world around and within. Breathe in, let the air flow through me. Breathe out, expel my worries.

I kept this up for roughly an hour, breathing in and out, doing my best to keep my mind clear. Having been a truck driver in my past life, it was actually very easy to think about nothing at all. Every job has at least some perks, right?

Monk class unlocked! Ki pool unlocked! Ki Fist ability unlocked!

I abruptly opened my eyes when I heard the dinging of the messages appearing, and let out a wide smile. About time! I quickly stood up, stretching a bit as I looked over my updated character sheet.

Name Dale Mitchell Race Human(Keeper) Health 38/38(184/184) Mana 48/48(64/64) Strength 5(10) Ki 9/9(27/27) Stamina 5(10) Intelligence 7(9) Dexterity 5(7) Wisdom 9(11) Luck 5 Charm 4 Class List Druid 0(3) Farmer 0(1) Hunter 0(4) Leader 0(2) Mage 1(5) Monk 1(3) Priest 0(3) Scholar 0(1) Scout 0(2) Shaman 0(1) Spirit Tamer 5(5) Warrior 1(12)

I nodded my head in satisfaction at the increases, and again navigated the window to exit to the Admin Room. This time, I probably wouldn’t be descending again for quite a while, at least for a few hundred years by the world’s time.