Rebirth Of The Bastard Spirit Summoner

Stark slowly took a step back, his eyes locked on the monster in front of him and his hand tightening around the shaft of the axe.

Seven green eyes followed every move, his figure reflecting in the glassy orbs.

The monster was large, imposing, and had a terrifying presence about it. It had mandibles similar to that of a grasshopper, but laced with rows of teeth.

With a furry body and hunched back, it was like an amalgamation of rodent and insect.

A Chimera.

Stark took one more step, and then the monster lunged at him.

It cut through the distance in a flash, its colossal body moving so fast that it was unnatural.

Not that there was anything natural about the evil forest.

He jumped to the side, just a hair's breadth from being ripped to shreds.

The monster crashed into the tree behind it and shattered it to pieces, the large tree tilting over before crashing into the others.

Stark hurtled forward, he strengthened the arm holding the axe before cleaving forward, right at the monster's hind limbs.

Thud!

The axe dug into its leg, but barely—the skin of the beast was just far too thick.

Letting out an angry snarl, the monster spun, its tail swinging along with it.

It was far too fast to dodge—

Swoosh!

Stark felt his world spin.

The tail slammed into him like a terrible whip, only with ten times the force.

He soared through the air, landing harshly on the floor before rolling to a stop.

He tried to stand up, but his body felt weak, and his arms vibrated from the pain.

Stark held onto his dagger and cursed, feeling a warm substance seep from within his clothing.

He had gotten conceited—after slaying a few monsters, he had felt on top of the world.

And now in the face of true danger, he was useless.

The thought of it ignited a burning anger within him, and before he knew it, his arrogance took charge.

The best thing to do would have been to run, but Stark was done with running.

He had turned a blind eye to all the snickering behind his back, he had ignored the clear disrespect of his own guards.

By not addressing them, he had run away.

Stark was done with that life.

As the sound of fast-moving feet surrounded them, Stark heard the beast before he saw it.

Jaws wide open. Claws outstretched. Mouth dripping saliva.

This time, he did not do anything rash, instead he kept his eyes locked on the beast. That was when he saw the tail coming—the pounce had been a feint.

Stark leaned back, his back making a popping sound as his head nearly touched the floor—and then the tail came whistling past him, the monster flying above his face.

And then he struck.

Dragging his axe through its thick underbelly, Stark dug it deep and dragged it forward, the beast's momentum doing the rest.

Blood bathed him like a river, soaking his head and what was left of his clothing.

Skreee!

The monster screeched, collapsing into a rock before pivoting to face him, its eyes twitching repeatedly as blood gushed out of its wound.

Stark had just taken advantage of the opening, and yet it seemed he had luckily landed a hit on a hidden weak spot.

But then, the Chimera darted forward.

Strike to the left—Stark dodged, watching as yellow claws tore past his face.

A tail swipe came at him and he managed to jump over it, but the next thing was something Stark could not dodge—not because he was not fast enough, but because it was far too unpredictable.

The monster positioned itself only on its tail, and its two hind limbs were about to lash out with explosive power.

At the same time, Stark swung from below, his axe cutting upward from below its jaw.

It was a question of who would hit first—the monster that had taken a few tricks out of the kangaroo's books…

Or Stark, the bastard noble who had a toxic relationship with revenge.

Thankfully, he did not get to find out.

The entrails of the beast exploded out due to the forceful movement, combined with its torn abdomen. Killing the beast in an instant.

But that did not stop the attack…

The muscles reacted on their own and rammed into Stark's chest, a pulverizing kick that sent ripples of wind billowing past them.

Stark's vision darkened on impact, and his body was tossed like a rag doll, cutting straight through the forest.

Thankfully, he had acted fast…

The moment the beast had died, Stark had pulled the spirit shard to himself and it was now laying in his hands. 

If he could just grow a tiny bit stronger, maybe he would survive!

Crack!

Stark felt the invigorating feeling of strength flooding his bones, this time far greater than what he had gotten from the little monsters.

But at the same time, he felt a piercing pain shoot through his back as his body bounced against the floor for the first time.

Crash!

Stark tasted blood.

He wrapped his hand around his head to protect it just as he brushed past a tree, his shoulder getting a nasty bruise from it.

And then finally, he crashed into a cave, his body sliding to the very edge of a chasm—

Just before he fell in.

• • •

For the second time that day, Stark felt cold water caress his body, cooling the burning sensation he felt on his skin.

His eyes slowly fluttered open and he stared up at the deep darkness above.

The area he had come from… the drop was a long one. Thankfully, the underground lake had broken his fall.

There were countless magic crystals in the cave, illuminating what would have been an otherwise dark space.

"I need to get out of here."

If creatures as deadly as that were on the surface, who knows what he would find here?

After observing the place he had come from and realizing that there was no way back, Stark decided to go deeper into the cave.

And hopefully find an exit at the other side.

His body was aching. If he was lucky, a few bruised ribs. If he was not? Broken ribs and internal bleeding. He would not make it past the night.

He limped through the cave, keeping an eye out for anything of concern when he burst out into a stark space.

This part of the cave was far larger than the others, and Stark could hear the rain.

'An exit?' he wondered, as he continued limping, only to freeze when he went past a large magic crystal.

Cold sweat dripped down his face as he slowly turned to the side, each move measured, each breath fraught with tension.

Beside him was a girl sitting on a flat slab of crystal, her legs crossed as she hummed a gentle tune.

She had smooth brown skin that glowed under the light of the crystals, and long silver hair that gave off an inhuman white glow.

And on her head—

There were two crystal horns, curving backward, and glowing with a quiet menace.

He was not alone.