'Two for killing him and one for a bonus...' Xiaotian was immediately delighted. He didn't know what this meant for now, although, strangely, he felt the connection with his sword intensify.
Besides, that kill had been quite easy for him, reminding him of the old days.
Back on Earth, his first kills hadn't been so easy. He still remembered that Goblin Specter that had made his life miserable until he finally learned its attack pattern.
He almost died against a goblin, proving that his beginnings had been difficult. But now it would be different.
The echo that had escaped from the specter he had just killed naturally alerted the other spider, which emitted a strange noise, like a very soft but eerie scream, the moment it sensed the presence of an intruder.
The spider took three steps back and raised its two front legs, supporting itself on only four hind legs. Then, it strangely raised its chest and moved its two front legs to bump them together, while raising its head.
It wanted to alert its allies to an intruder!
Both front legs soon collided with each other...
CLANK*
But instead of the clattering sound they should have made, followed by a scream, there was simply a thud, as if they had hit metal.
The spider was unable to activate its warning ability, which surprised it, and it looked down.
Xiaotian smiled. "Sorry, I already know your attack pattern. So you can forget about calling your allies."
His sword was right in the middle of both legs, stopping them on both sides.
"Grrrr."
Having lost the opportunity to alert, the specter's attack plan changed.
It immediately moved to one side, taking advantage of the movement to attack with both front legs in a combined attack from both sides. It attack was strong; Xiaotian knew immediately that he couldn't beat it in a head-on confrontation.
Fortunately, he was no stranger to these beasts.
'The pattern is exactly the same as in that ruin. The only difference is the power and speed with which they execute it,' he thought, moving his body quickly to the right and then to the left to dodge both attacks.
In the process, he raised his sword in front of him and deflected the spider's attacks with it, then struck it at a key point, managing to stun it for a brief moment.
He took advantage of the moment to crouch down and raise his sword to strike at the core.
CLANK*
CLANK*
His attacks were powerful and effective; the spider recoiled several steps, feeling pain.
Even though it was a specter born from the voice of a being from the past, these beasts felt pain if you hit specific places, because they had imperceptible nerves that connected and gave logic to the body.
On Earth, scientists never managed to explain this, even though they researched it for many years, but that didn't matter when you were a hunter. The important thing was that if you knew where to strike, you could take advantage of these moments of pain to deliver the final blow.
That was exactly what Xiaotian did. As soon as he saw it retreat, he knew he had won. He grabbed the sword with both hands and lunged forward, plunging it into the specter's core...
"GRRRRAR!"
The echo of the voice that escaped the specter was more powerful than the previous one, but it didn't seem to have a distinct voice, so Xiaotian couldn't discern anything.
[You have killed a Level 1 Spectral Birth: Common Spider.]
[You have obtained 2 Spiritual Essence Points.]
[Sword as Tool: 5/30.]
This increase made him thoughtful. Even if he managed to clear this ruin, which would be extremely difficult on his own, he would not be able to reach the next level. Even if he did... What would it mean?
He did not know.
"Sigh." He let out a soft sigh as the body disappeared and the core fell to the ground, making him smile.
'They also spit out crystals, and the pain when hitting the same spot as always is the same. What the hell is going on? They're too similar.'
He bent down and grabbed the two cores from the ground. He grabbed them tightly because he knew they were heavy, and as he expected, they were quite heavy.
'About 20 kilograms each... It's less than I thought.'
Although the weight wasn't bad at all, considering that he obtained it without difficulty and that each common spirit crystal weighed half a kilogram. That means that each of these is equivalent to 40 common crystals, which is an astonishing wealth for someone like him, whom his family had just stripped of everything.
In front of his eyes was a system window that asked, [Do you want to save it in your inventory?]
He saved one of them first and looked suspiciously at the inventory displayed before his eyes. The inventory partition where the core was located contained detailed information about it, such as what it was, where it came from, and its exact weight.
He could get it back with just a thought. He tried it a couple of times and, after understanding how to use it, he put both cores in the inventory and stopped looking at nonsense to continue on his way.
'I saw about eight specters in the ruins earlier, but there should be more, though not too many, since I still don't know where the Mother Spider is, and level 1 ruins don't have that many specters,' he thought.
Clearing these ruins was essential for several reasons.
First, to get out alive. Second, to obtain his first Legacy Technique in this world, which, apparently, is extremely difficult to obtain. And third, to raise his life root level.
He hadn't even cultivated because he barely knew the basics, but he could already start strengthening himself and preparing for when he understood how to do it.
Until now, he would have to get through this ruin without using a shred of cultivation, relying solely on his current strength, his skill with the sword, and his cunning.
As a swordsman in his past life, he had a correct understanding of what a sword was and how it moved. Furthermore, during his lifetime, he had learned the Philosophy of the Art of the Sword, which described different levels of understanding that could be attained.
For example, for a sword used as a tool, the philosophy he had to learn was simple but powerful.
The sword is the tool that will guide you through power. From the mountains, the seas, the plains, and the deserts. Its position does not matter, its understanding is crucial, and its form is straight, firm, and insightful.
According to the Philosophy of the Art of the Sword, understanding this was crucial to advancement.
Therefore, everything was left to his cunning, as he could do little or nothing with his current strength.