Chapter 2: Holy Sword Deck

Call ... ...

In addition to this, there are three other sources for summoning the swordsman’s spirit. The first is to obtain the soul core that condenses after the death of a magical creature to awaken it and make it one’s own summoned spirit. However, this can vary due to the attributes of the holder and environmental factors. For instance, if a summoning swordsman obtains a soul core after killing a fire serpent, but awakens the spirit in a frigid environment or while wearing dark attribute equipment, it is uncertain what type of creature will ultimately be summoned. If the summoned creature is a nine-headed serpent with dark powers, it may be manageable, but if it is an ordinary magical creature weakened by attribute conflict, then one can only lament the outcome.

Talent: Not Unlocked

Racial traits: Unsealed.

In the game "Dragon Soul Continent," the Summoner Swordsman is a highly controversial profession. Initially, it garnered significant attention as an official player-exclusive class. However, upon actual gameplay, players have labeled the Summoner Swordsman as one of the most frustrating professions due to its dual reliance on both magic and martial skills, resulting in a lack of specialization, the complexity of needing to summon spirits for coordinated attacks, and the substantial experience point consumption during the leveling process.

Unfortunately, there are both joys and sorrows. The issues regarding swordsmanship have been resolved, but Rod soon discovered that what had been reset was not only his experience, level, and proficiency. It also included the most important existence for a summoner of swordsmen—the summoned spirit.

Unfortunately, while dreams are beautiful, reality is harsh. Not to mention that the remnants of ancient-level weapons can only be activated by high-level summoning techniques, and as spiritual entities, they have lost their material forms, resulting in their powers being significantly weaker than before. Take Rod's quasi-artifact "Dragon King's Fury" in the game as an example; it was only after he reached the maximum level that he extracted the soul from a weapon remnant. However, the weapon he condensed at that time was not even as powerful as the same-level weapons crafted by master blacksmiths. Subsequently, Rod spent a full two years traversing the entire Dragon Soul Continent, and after much effort, he finally reactivated the souls of all the fragments of that weapon and restored it to its original state. Setting aside the time, the dangers encountered during the process were enough to deter many. Moreover, elven weapons require the consumption of soul power to maintain during use, and the summoned spirits also require soul power. However, the spiritual energy stored by summoning swordsmen is far inferior to that of mages, which leads many summoning swordsmen to ultimately prefer ordinary weapons over these "visually appealing" but practically unhelpful elven weapons.

Mixed-blood? How could it be mixed-blood?

However

Although it sounds great and powerful, there are indeed many troubles involved. In fact, many players were initially confused by this skill and chose to summon swordsmen. In their view, as long as they could buy some damaged ancient artifacts at a low price in ruins or markets, and then use the summoning technique to call forth and seal the souls of those weapons, they could effortlessly obtain a divine weapon.

However, it was not without surprises, as in the categories of swordsmanship and alchemy, Rod discovered that, apart from the essential skills required at his current level, the more than ten sword techniques and alchemical skills he had learned as a player were not forgotten but were quietly displayed below. However, they were all in a dark color, indicating that with Rod's current abilities and level, he was unable to learn and use them. Nevertheless, Rod need not worry; as long as his strength improved and he met the conditions, he would regain the right to use these sword techniques and skills. Of course, the only downside was that the proficiency of these sword techniques and skills had also been reset to the lowest E level, rather than the SS level.

Gazing at the card in his hand, Rod was momentarily taken aback. This was indeed the exclusive equipment for summoning swordsmen, the summoning card. Moreover, this particular card was one he was very familiar with; it was a rare commemorative card given to him by the official during an event he participated in. After leading his guild to achieve first place on the entire server for two consecutive quarters, the game company specially created this card to honor this exceptionally powerful top player. Of course, similar card merchandise had long been abundant, but for Rod, he had no inclination to waste money on items that could only be admired and not utilized. Thus, he only possessed this prize. After receiving it, Rod kept it as a talisman by his side, as it hardly took up any space.

At that moment, a knock on the door was heard

This can be considered a trouble for Rod, as the typical racial bonuses are provided once a character is established. For instance, the racial bonus for humans is a reduction in the time required to learn skills, along with various enhancements such as resistance to poison and increased reputation, depending on the race. However, at this point, these bonuses and traits have already become irrelevant to Rod.

Rod

Rod raised his head and happened to see a middle-aged man pushing the door and entering. He was dressed in adventurer's leather armor, with a head of bright red long hair casually swept back. Upon seeing Rod, the man smiled slightly

Level 1

Hello, sir, I am Carter, the leader of the Starry Moon Mercenary Corps

From the mere transformation of this game ID from a simple name to a phenomenon's representative, one can infer the feelings of players when Rod achieved countless server firsts as a swordsman, a profession universally recognized as incredibly frustrating, and even consecutively conquered three new eras.

It is precisely because of the various "frustrating" characteristics of the Summoner Knight that it has rightfully earned the title of "Most Frustrating Class" on the official forum of the Dragon Soul Continent. Some have vividly described the players of the Summoner Knight as either complete novices who have never played games before and were lured in by promotional materials and CG, or as casual players who have no ambition for improvement. Then there are those who are inherently gamblers, willing to stake their luck. ... And the last type is ... Rod.

Gazing at this system prompt, Rod let out a complex sigh. Although he did not understand why something that was merely an ordinary card in the original world could exhibit the summoning card's inherent functions here, for Rod at this moment, it was undoubtedly the most useful assistance available. In the game, finding a weapon with +2 ability before level 15 was quite rare, yet "Star Scar" surprisingly possessed an initial +3 attribute, which was sufficient to compare the summoning swordsman, who was in a semi-waste state, with a genuine swordsman. Moreover, its fusion characteristic meant that as long as the right spirit was found, it could be transformed into an attribute weapon. Although the requirement for the holder to expend soul power to use it made it somewhat inferior compared to normal weapons, in terms of attack power alone, it was already considered one of the few powerful pieces of equipment available at present.

This is a very normal yet very abnormal attribute list, especially when Rod saw the first item, he almost exclaimed out loud

Part-time: Alchemist (Specialization in Arcane Creation)

Ethnicity: Mixed (??)

Eternal Deck Acquired 1 / 10, Eternal Holy Sword Tenth - Star Mark

At this moment, a system notification also appeared before Rod's eyes

Are you still here

Rod hesitated for just a second, then his right hand tightened around the card. Suddenly, the magic circle affixed to the back of Rod's right hand lit up, and a series of azure magical lines spread out from it, extending to each finger of his right hand. Then, the white card erupted with a dazzling white light, which quickly transformed into specks of light dust, completely vanishing into the air

Rod sighed, shaking his head, deciding not to dwell on these strange and mysterious matters any longer. In any case, he had already arrived here, and that was a fact. So what should he do next

Would you like to give it a try

However, now, all the dozens of top-tier summoned spirits he had cultivated over a full seven years have been completely eliminated. The mysterious summoning array on the back of his right hand still exists, but within it, Rod can no longer sense any trace of spirits. However, upon further reflection, it is not surprising; after all, this body is not the same as the one in the game, and one cannot demand too much.

Racial reward: Unsealed.

However, it is indeed difficult for Rod to become fully excited at this moment, as the situation he finds himself in is simply too bizarre for him.

It was not until this moment that Rod let out a sigh and lay back down again

Call ... ...

Occupation: Summoner Swordsman (Heroic Class)

After the recent conversation with the young girl, Rod has confirmed that this is indeed the world of the Dragon Soul Continent. Moreover, this is not the era he previously experienced, but rather a time even further back in the past—the Twilight Years, which corresponds to the period when the Dragon Soul Continent game had just begun its open beta.

First, Rod decided to try what he could do at the moment. As he contemplated this, a clear and familiar system prompt quickly appeared before him, displaying his current status and attributes:

On the Dragon Soul Continent, the term "mixed blood" does not refer to the intermarriage between different races as seen on Earth. Instead, those who possess the attribute of mixed blood are generally the result of unions between humans and non-human races. However, Rod is well aware that he is human, and even as a player character in the game, he did not choose any other race. So why does his attribute panel now show mixed blood? Moreover, the question mark in parentheses indicates that his bloodline has not yet fully awakened, which means that the racial rewards and characteristics are also sealed. This signifies that Rod must understand what kind of blood he possesses and awaken the dormant power within his bloodline in order to obtain them.

Eternal Sacred Sword No. 10: Star Mark, attribute-less, can be fused— even the dust of history cannot obscure its dazzling brilliance and the light of knowledge

The experience required for summoning spirits is deducted from the holder, which is the primary reason why summoning swordsmen level up more slowly than other professions. While other professions only need to consider their own experience points, summoning swordsmen must allocate some of theirs to enhance their summoned spirits. This allocation is difficult to manage. Distributing experience to one's summoned spirits ensures their level increases, and after reaching a certain threshold, they can evolve. However, as mentioned earlier, the evolution of spirits is influenced by the surrounding environment, the holder's will, and various external factors. Consequently, the summoned spirits that evolve may not necessarily be the ones the holder desires.

The second method of obtaining summoned spirits is to defeat those non-human entities. Upon meeting certain conditions, one can also sign a contract with them, sealing them away to be used as one's own summoned spirits. This is a relatively common approach among summoning swordsmen; however, the drawback lies in the strong autonomy of these summoned beings. In the context of a game, this may manifest as the possibility of them resisting their summoner's commands based on their own judgment. Naturally, this method is not particularly popular, as no one wishes for the entities they summon to become more of a hindrance than a help.

It was a card with a white background, depicting a long sword entwined with thorns, pure and flawless. The sword was intricately engraved with elaborate carvings, and at the guard, there was a pair of exquisite wings that appeared to be folding. Just the sight of it was pleasing to the eye. In the four corners of the card, there were four different markings. In the upper right corner, there was a white semicircle, while in the upper left corner, a small 'X' was inscribed. Looking further down, the lower left and lower right corners displayed two small numbers—3. Just the sight of it was pleasing to the eye. In the four corners of the card, there were four different markings. In the upper right corner, there was a white semicircle, while in the upper left corner, a small 'X' was inscribed. Looking further down, the lower left and lower right corners displayed two small numbers—3. Turning the card over, a mysterious and elegant script slowly emerged on the back of the card.

Is this a game or reality? If this is reality, then where should one go from here?

On a literal level, the summoning technique of the summoner swordsman appears indistinguishable from that of the mage. However, in reality, the two are fundamentally different. The mage's summoning technique involves consuming their own power to tear through space and summon creatures from the subplane, forcibly binding them with the power of magic to serve their will. In contrast, the summoner swordsman lacks the ability to tear through spatial planes; all their summoned entities originate from the present world. One of their abilities is the unique "Spirit Calling Technique," which allows them to awaken the souls of ancient, mysterious, and spiritually potent items, and through a contractual method, re-seal and utilize these souls.

However, Rod did not take these trivial matters to heart, for what he valued most about these skills was not their proficiency, but their origins. Many swordsmanship techniques are quite difficult to learn; they require not only an increase in level or attributes, but often necessitate the completion of a series of tasks, the enhancement of one's reputation, or simply a fortunate coincidence in discovering hidden items. All of this demands a significant amount of money, time, and even luck. In the game, it was not until the last year of Rod's time in the Dragon Soul Continent that he fully developed his character, which ultimately gave him the confidence to challenge the Void Dragon. Not only does it require an increase in level or attributes, but often it necessitates the completion of a series of tasks, the enhancement of one's reputation, or simply a fortunate coincidence in discovering hidden items. All of this demands a significant amount of money, time, and even luck. In the game, it was not until the last year of Rod's time in the Dragon Soul Continent that he fully developed his character, which ultimately gave him the confidence to challenge the Void Dragon.

Upon thinking of this, Rod felt a stir in his heart. He then reached out his hand to touch the pocket of his chest, and indeed, he quickly found a card.

General players do not favor such a random approach, as it gives them a sense of being out of control. However, Rod finds joy in it; it is precisely the unknown that makes it challenging, which is also the reason he chose the Summoner Knight profession. In fact, throughout his long gaming career, he has encountered nearly all the frustrating experiences associated with Summoner Knights, yet Rod remains undeterred, for it is only by conquering such difficulties that he finds greater satisfaction.

Professional Skill: Summoning Technique (Proficiency E)

Swordsmanship: Moonshadow Sword Technique (Proficiency E) (Available Skill - Shattering Blade)

How did I come to be here

Skill Held: Concentration Shaping (Proficiency E)

As for the final method, it involves awakening the attribute adjustment talent after reaching level 10. By fusing several summoned spirits, one can produce higher-level spirits. This method somewhat controls the inherent uncertainty of the summoned spirits. As long as one is familiar with the characteristics, race, and attributes of the summoned spirits, they will generally have an idea of what kind of summoned spirit will result from the fusion. However, this method also has its drawbacks—namely, the level of the newly produced summoned spirit is uncertain. It is possible to fuse two high-level summoned spirits and end up with a level 1 new summoned spirit. In this case, one may have a rough idea of what kind of summoned spirit will result from the fusion. Yet, the flaw remains— the level of the newly produced summoned spirit is unpredictable. It could result in a spirit that is significantly higher than the owner's level, rendering it completely unusable. If it is the latter, it is manageable; one just needs to work hard to level up. However, if it is the former, then one might as well delete their account.

Originally, this was merely an ordinary commemorative prize, very unremarkable except for the fact that there is only one in the entire world. However, at this moment, Rod noticed that its surface was emitting a faint glow, shining in his hand

Knock knock