Chapter 224: The Whispering Corridors Of Slow Madness

"Reveal yourself then," Ethan said.

Right then, the whitish miasma that glowed around the sword seeped out of it completely and extended outward to form a shape.

What emerged was ethereal and beautiful in an unsettling way.

The figure appeared masculine, dressed in flowing black and white cloth that moved as though caught in a wind. There were floral designs on the fabric, rendered in black and gray.

In one hand, he held a katana, and in the other, a folding fan. This soul that had been inside the blade itself had just taken form, and right now it stared at Ethan without saying anything.

Ethan looked in awe for a moment, then turned to the blade in his hand. It looked like a regular double-edged sword now, no longer able to feel the power he used to feel from it.

He lifted his head to the floating essence in front of him, noting that it too held a sword of its own and a fan. Which he found strange.

But without saying anything further, Ragnarok dissolved back into miasma and returned to the sword in Ethan’s hand.

"That was weird," Ethan said with a narrowed, puzzled expression at the sword before taking his focus away from it and returning back to the screens still laid out before him.

[Self-Imposed Objective Complete: Guardian Class Regimen Training]

[Reward: 3,000 XP]

[10x Multiplier Applied]

[Adjusted Reward: 30,000 XP]

[Self-Imposed Objective Complete: Eye Accuracy Training for Ranger Class]

[Reward: 3,000 XP]

[10x Multiplier Applied]

[Adjusted Reward: 30,000 XP]

[Congratulations: Fourth Guardian Foundation Stage Reached]

[Reward: 3,000 XP]

[10x Multiplier Applied]

[Adjusted Reward: 30,000 XP]

[Ragnarok Bond Progress: Half-way completion]

[Reward: 5,000 XP]

[10x Multiplier Applied]

[Adjusted Reward: 50,000 XP]

[Bonus Reward: 3,000 XP]

[10x Multiplier Applied]

[Adjusted Reward: 30,000 XP]

[Total XP Gained: 170,000 XP]

[XP Balance: 487,500]

Ethan was very much pleased with this outcome.

And without waiting any further, he went on to say, "Deduct the total amount of experience points required to get to summoner level 20. Also, be minimalistic as possible. I don’t want my vision clogged."

[425,000 XP has been deducted to raise your Summoner Level from 15 to 20]

"Woah woah woah, what the fuck?" Ethan exclaimed.

As though the system tried to explain itself, it immediately laid out the deductions.

[Level 15 → 16: 65,000 XP]

[Level 16 → 17: 75,000 XP]

[Level 17 → 18: 85,000 XP]

[Level 18 → 19: 95,000 XP]

[Level 19 → 20: 105,000 XP]

Ethan sighed and shook his head. But even with understanding the math, he cursed, "Man, you are being unfair with this shit. So all that grind, gone in one sitting? That’s painful as hell.."

"Tch," he clicked his tongue and sighed, "just carry on."

[You have gained four King-Class summons and one new Legendary summon]

[Congratulations on reaching Summoner Level 20. Bond and Borrow skills can now be leveled up even further]

[For reaching this new Summoner Level, you have gained two new special rewards]

"Special rewards," he simply said. He wanted to start with the most intriguing aspect of leveling up.

[Special Reward: You have gained 2/4 Key Fragment to the Special Summoning Space granted to you by Lord Reincarnation]

[Special Reward: You have gained a new Summoner Skill - Exchange]

[Exchange Skill Lv.1: By using this skill, you are able to swap positions with any summon. It can also be used to swap a summon’s position with another summon]

[This is a distinct skill tied to your Spirit King status and does not apply to other summoners]

[Warning: The Exchange skill at this level can only be used once in 24 hours]

[As a distinct skill, it is only scaled up with your Summoner Level progression and not experience points. At higher levels, the 24-hour cooldown will also reduce]

Ethan gave it a thought. "I mean, not bad. Could be much better, but not bad at all. I just have to use this at really important times," as though advising himself.

Then he realized something he had never really bothered about, and curiously asked, "What about Fusion skill? It’s still at Lv.1. Does the next level require XP?"

The system responded with a simple notification.

[The next and final level of Fusion is a unique skill exclusive to Spirit King Authority]

[Requirements: Summoner Level(Maximum) + All 4 Key Fragments to Special Summoning Space]

"Hm... okay" Ethan muttered, making a mental note of that, before deciding to go through the profiles of the new King-Class summons.

None particularly left an impressive mark. They fell between the Warrior, Saber, and Ranger classes, and none had any particularly mind-blowing skills.

In summary, they were simply high-tiered fighters. Solid, dependable, but not game-changers.

"Well, the more the merrier," he said, then added, "Now show me the Legendary."

[Name: The Whispering Corridors of Slow Madness]

[Title: The Maze That Took Them All. The Never-Return.]

[Classification: Vengeful Spirit/Domain-Type]

[Summon Class: Legendary] 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

[Potential Rating: Emperor]

[Skills:

- Ever-Changing Corridors

- Vile Mist

- Voices of the Dread]

[Notable Limits:

- Like other Domain-Type summons, unable to defend against most direct attacks]

- It loses some relevance if the target leaves the maze before full extension, or flies above it]

[Summon Background:

-In the year 1543, an elderly caster was executed in the town of Abindel on false accusations of witchcraft and child abduction. She was sentenced to burn at the stake. On the day of her death, she cursed the town, swearing revenge. Her spirit, unable to return to the Well of the Undying, lingered in a secluded part of Abindel and corrupted the soil with her earth magic. Over centuries, her essence merged with the land itself, transforming into a sentient stone labyrinth. By 1754, the maze had claimed so many lives that the town hired external casters to destroy it.]

"Damn," Ethan muttered. Just like the different magic elements, summons could come in different classifications as well.

Aside from the common heroic or villainous spirits, certain summons were mythical beasts. He had once even heard of "objects," but "domain type" was kind of new to him.

He didn’t even think summons could come in this likeness.

Domain-type summons, however, were not popular for one reason. They were considered the weakest type of summons, especially in overall usage.

Most couldn’t move or act, because what was the point of inserting more scenery to the battlefield if you could do nothing to protect yourself regardless?

Ethan was curious to see what this looked like, so he summoned The Whispering Corridors of Slow Madness.

Right then, the ground beneath his feet rumbled. Cracks spread outward and from those fissures, walls of ancient stone began to rise.

They emerged slowly, until they reached heights well above his head, easily ten to twelve feet tall. The stone was weathered and cracked, covered in patches of moss and strange markings that might have been runes or might have been the natural erosion of centuries.

Within seconds, Ethan found himself standing in a corridor. The walls extended in multiple directions, branching off into paths that seemed to shift and rearrange even as he looked at them.

The whole maze extended outward in all directions, covering a full diameter of five hundred meters.

Then came the mist. A thick fog rolled in from nowhere, filling the corridors. And then the voices started.

Whispers, dozens of them, hundreds maybe. They came from everywhere and nowhere, overlapping and echoing off the walls.

Some sounded like pleas for help. Others were accusations. A few were laughter, low and mocking.

"This is spooky as hell," Ethan said, looking around at the corridors.

"Enough with the voices," Ethan said, giving it a command.

At once, the whispers died out.

"Hm." Ethan muttered, reaching out to touch one of the walls.

There was the bond connection already formed between Ethan and The Whispering Corridors, and so he could see all its paths and ways without a border.

Even as the walls shifted, he instinctively knew the layout. Every turn, every dead end and every exit.