The Shadow Phantom stood in front of Itsuki.
The Street Wailer tried to run away.
But the Shadow Phantom was faster.
It moved like a dark shadow.
Its claws were long and sharp.
CRACK!
The Shadow Phantom hit the Street Wailer hard.
The Street Wailer fell to the ground and screamed loudly.
SCREEEEECH!
Itsuki covered his ears.
The sound was painful.
The Street Wailer tried to fight back.
Its long tongue came out like a knife.
But the Shadow Phantom grabbed it—
—and ripped it apart.
The Street Wailer started shaking in fear.
The Shadow Phantom lifted its arm—
—and cut the Street Wailer in half.
BOOM!
The body turned into black dust.
The Street Wailer was dead.
Itsuki stared at the Shadow Phantom.
"It… killed that monster so easily," he whispered.
But then—
something scary happened.
The forest became quiet.
Too quiet.
Then Itsuki saw them.
Eyes.
Many eyes.
Behind trees.
Under bushes.
On broken branches.
One spirit…
two…
five…
ten…
more and more.
All coming closer.
A soft sound filled the air.
Whissss… whiiissss…
The system screen showed:
[Warning: More spirits detected ]
The Street Wailer's scream called them.
Itsuki stepped back.
His heart beat fast.
"We barely killed one, and now a group… how can we fight all of them?" he said nervously.
The spirits moved slowly toward him.
Some crawled.
Some walked.
Some floated.
The Shadow Phantom stood in front of Itsuki, ready to fight again.
But suddenly, something felt strange.
The other spirits also stopped.
The Shadow Phantom slowly pointed at him.
"H-Hey… what do you want?" he asked, shaking.
The spirit did not answer.
It only pointed again… and then it disappeared.
He looked around in fear.
"I don't get it… Why did it leave?" he whispered.
He was alone. The air felt heavy.
Then something rushed past his face very fast.
He gasped. "Ah!"
It was a girl.
She landed in front of him, her face calm and without emotion.
Without saying a word, she cut through the spirits with a bright aura.
A few boys arrived behind her.
"Captain! More on the right!" one shouted.
The girl didn't speak.
She only moved—fast and sharp—finishing the spirit with one strike.
The boys killed the rest of the spirits within seconds.
He stood there, breathing hard.
"Who… who are you?" he asked.
The girl didn't look at him.
She just wiped her sword and turned away in silence.
He was surprised.
The girl was looking at him from far away, her face showing no emotion.
Soon, they took him with them.
Inside the horse carriage,
the girl did not look at him even once.
She only looked outside and stayed quiet the whole trip.
One of the men looked at her with a confused smile and said, "She is our captain."
Then he introduced himself to Itsuki.
"My name is Logan Minazuki. I'm a Spirit Warrior."
He asked softly, "What is your name?"
Itsuki stopped for a moment.
The girl finally looked at him, her eyes full of suspicion.
"Itsuki Kageyama," he said quietly.
She looked away again.
Logan leaned closer and said their captain wanted to know why he was here.
Itsuki did not want to tell the truth—that he was reincarnated.
He feared they might experiment him or make him a slave if they found out.
So he lied.
"I… I got lost," he said. "I'm from a small village no one knows. I'm poor, and I came to the city to earn money."
Logan looked at the girl, then back at him.
"Okay. Don't worry. We will take you to the Spirit Warrior Academy. You are safe now."
But Itsuki could tell… they were still suspicious of him.
"Thank you," Itsuki said softly.
They reached the city.
Itsuki looked outside the carriage and thought in his mind:
"The city looks so normal… just like in isekai manga and anime. People are selling their hunted animals, handmade things, weapons, armors, and food in the market. But… there are no demi-humans here. So this world has no demi-humans? Huh…"
He felt a little disappointed.
Logan noticed him staring outside and smiled.
"It's nice, isn't it?" he asked.
Itsuki answered slowly, "Ye… yes."
Logan laughed softly.
"You can buy anything here. Food, tools, weapons… even cheap armor if you have little money. The city is always busy. But be careful—many thieves hide in crowds."
Itsuki listened quietly.
Logan continued, "And look over there—those tall buildings? Those are the Spirit Warrior Halls. Only Spirit Warriors can enter. Inside, they can buy and sell items, take quests, practice their skills, and even fight in battle rooms. It's like a whole world made just for warriors."
Itsuki nodded. "I see…"
While they were talking, the girl peeked at him again—just a short, cold look.
Then she looked away as if nothing happened.
After their long talk, the carriage finally stopped.
They had reached the Spirit Warrior Academy.
The Academy had its own land and high walls.
The gate was very big.
The buildings inside looked almost like a palace.
Itsuki looked at Logan. "Is… is this normal? It looks so grand."
Logan smiled.
"Yes. Many princes and princesses from different countries study here. We are students too. This Academy has no owner. All kingdoms allow it… except the Dark Region."
He opened his mouth to continue.
"And our captain… is—"
But the girl stood and looked at Logan with angry eyes.
"Well, I have to go, or the captain will kill us," Logan said fast.
"You need to visit the Academy hospital too. You can ask anyone for the way. See you later."
She looked at Itsuki again.
Then she turned and walked away, quiet as always.
"What's with her?" Itsuki talked to himself.
"Where's the hospital again? I should ask someone."
Itsuki was sent to check if he was corrupted by spirits.
He walked through the Academy halls and soon saw a girl.
He asked her, "Excuse me… can you tell me the way to the hospital room?"
She smiled gently.
"I am going there too. Are you a student?"
Itsuki shook his head.
"No, I am not."
"My name is Mika," she said. "I am a student here."
"Itsuki Kageyama," he said quietly.
They walked together through the halls.
Mika asked, "Have you trained before?"
"I… not really," Itsuki admitted. "I just came here. I don't know much."
"That is okay," she said kindly. "The hospital is not far. The doctor will check you. You can ask anyone for the way if needed."
Itsuki nodded. "Thank you."
After a short walk, they reached the hospital room.
"I… thank you," Itsuki said politely.
"You're welcome," Mika said. "Good luck."
She waved slightly and left.
Itsuki entered the room.
No one was there except an old man.
The old man smiled.
"Hello. I'm the doctor here. Are you here for a check-up?"
"Yes," Itsuki replied.
"Let's check you then."
He examined Itsuki carefully.
"All is fine," he said. "You know… you can cultivate to become a Spirit Warrior… but your rank is the lowest."
Itsuki saw a notification in front of him:
[Demoted to lowest rank: Mortal Root Realm due to sacrifice]
The doctor was kind and friendly.
He taught Itsuki many things about the world:
Spirit Warriors fight against spirits using special energy.
Negative energy comes from spirits and humans. Spirit Warriors can absorb it to grow stronger.
Spirit Warriors have ranks. The lowest is Mortal Root Realm,
then Fear Channeler Realm,
Spirit Warrior Realm,
Terror Forger Realm,
Dread Master Realm,
Horror Sovereign Realm,
Calamity Breaker Realm,
Abyss Monarch Realm,
and the highest is Void Emperor Realm.
Spirits also have rankings like:
Wisp Class,
Phantom Class,
Ghast Class,
Wraith Class,
Specter Class,
Aberration Class,
Nightmare Class,
Calamity Class,
Demise Class,
Void Deity Class (God-tier spirits).
Weak spirits are small and easy to kill. Strong spirits are dangerous and smart. Some can control others.
There are also grades for each rank for both humans and spirits, from F to Ex—10 grades total.
The Academy's goal is to unite all kingdoms to fight against spirits and threats.
They teach warriors, give them rules, and help them cooperate.
Cultivation is necessary. You must train your body, mind, and energy. Only then can you fight stronger spirits.
Spirit Warriors can also take quests, buy weapons, practice in special halls, and fight to grow faster.
The doctor seemed very interested in Itsuki.
He smiled and said, "You have potential. I will teach you many things. You must learn fast. The world is dangerous, and the spirits do not wait for anyone."
Itsuki listened carefully. He felt nervous, but he refused.
"Sorry, I don't want you to face them."
"What a shame!" the doctor said, disappointed. "If you need something, you can come to me."
"Thank you," he said politely and left.
After he left the hospital, Itsuki remembered something.
The girl had spoken to him only once before leaving. She gave him a small token.
"You can show this to the Academy butler," she had said.
Itsuki held the token in his hand.
He started looking for the butler.
Suddenly, he heard loud noises.
He walked carefully to see what was happening.
He saw two girls fighting.
They moved very fast. Aura-like energy came from them, like spirits.
Every strike was strong. Itsuki's eyes opened wide.
"This… is amazing," he whispered.
One girl shouted, "You can't beat me this time!"
The other girl's voice was cold. "We'll see about that."
They jumped and attacked again and again.
Their movements were sharp and fast.
At the end of the fight, a boy came from behind.
"What are you doing here?" the boy asked.
"And who are you?"
Itsuki froze. The boy's aura was strong and full of anger.
Itsuki felt scared.
Suddenly, a notification appeared:
[Murderous Aura Detected.
Prevention Activated.]
The boy glared at him, but the aura stopped before it could hit him.
Itsuki stepped back slowly.
The fight ended.
One of the girls called to the boy.
"Stop! That is enough," she said.
The boy left, looking irritated.
Itsuki watched quietly.
The other girl peeked at him from far away.
Her eyes were full of curiosity.
Itsuki held the token tightly.
He continued looking for the Academy butler.
Why is everyone so strong here? he thought.