Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner

The moment they stepped through the city gates, a translucent panel appeared before their eyes, carrying an ominous message.

[The Fifth Floor's challenge will begin soon.] [Please be ready.]

Celeste blinked, staring at the words as if expecting them to change.

"Huh… that wasn't there before," she mumbled under her breath.

A quick glance at the surrounding crowd confirmed her suspicions—she wasn't the only one seeing it.

The air grew tense as more and more awakeners took notice, reading over the panel with furrowed brows.

Some whispered among themselves, while others, like Karl, simply stood still, eyes narrowed as they processed the implications.

Karl reread the words, his expression darkening.

Please be ready. That could only mean one thing—the trial to complete the [Tower's Tutorial] was imminent.

And without any prior information about what this challenge entailed, they had no choice but to wait.

The crowd responded in different ways.

Some cautiously leaned against nearby buildings, conserving their energy.

Others shuffled around uneasily, eyeing their potential competitors with suspicion.

After everything the tower had thrown at them so far, no one would be surprised if this trial forced them into a brutal fight against one another.

The waiting stretched on.

Minutes turned into an hour.

During that time, more awakeners poured into the city—some entering from the outside world, others emerging from the fourth floor's trial victorious.

The number of participants continued to swell, making Karl increasingly uneasy.

The larger the group, the more likely conflict would break out.

And then there was his own personal concern—his summons.

With so many people around, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to target them.

He only had ten spirits left after fusing some into [Rare] rank creatures, and losing any of them would be unacceptable.

"Hey."

A whisper snapped Karl out of his thoughts.

Celeste had leaned in close, her tone far more serious than usual.

"Hm?" Karl turned to face her.

Her usual playful smirk was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, her expression was firm, her eyes locked onto his with a knowing look.

"I don't remember much of what my parents told me about the tower," she admitted.

"Most of it was blocked out by [Authority of the Tower]… but there's one thing that stuck with me."

She took a breath.

"They—like all other awakeners—killed a lot of people to climb."

Karl didn't respond immediately.

He simply stared at her for a moment before exhaling softly.

"I know."

Celeste continued, her voice quieter but no less serious.

"Back in the novice trial, Alexander and his group attacked us first. That made things simple. But this time…"

Her gaze flickered to the crowd around them.

"We need to be careful."

Karl nodded.

He had already prepared himself for that reality.

In fact, he had made a silent vow long ago—if anyone laid a hand on his spirits, they wouldn't live to regret it.

His gaze drifted across the gathering awakeners, briefly settling on a familiar group—the students from [Starlight Academy].

They stood together, yet separate, each watching the crowd with their own level of caution.

Time continued to pass.

Tension mounted.

And then, at exactly 9 AM, a new panel appeared.

[The Awakened City's trial will now begin shortly.]

[To all willing participants, you have thirty minutes to reach the gate at the far end of the city.]

[Good luck.]

[The trial will begin the moment the timer reaches zero. If you are unwilling to participate at this time, you may rest in the city, which will serve as a checkpoint where no one can harm you.]

[However, only half of today's participants will successfully complete the [Tower's Tutorial].]

[Those who fail will either be dead or forced to retake the trial in two days.]

As soon as the words finished appearing, the silence shattered.

Without hesitation, hundreds of awakeners surged forward, dashing toward the designated location.

Some didn't even bother waiting for their teammates, driven by sheer desperation to reach the trial grounds first.

Karl's mind raced as he kept pace with Celeste, weaving through the chaotic rush of bodies.

The system hadn't mentioned a participant limit, yet everyone acted as if time was against them.

"Is the city's end far?" Karl asked, glancing at Celeste as they ran. "If it is, we might need to use it."

Celeste immediately understood what he meant—the [Sovereign Wolf], one of his strongest summons.

But instead of answering immediately, she simply shrugged.

"No idea."

Karl frowned.

He didn't want to reveal his more powerful summons unless absolutely necessary, so he opted to continue running on foot like the others.

Since the city was a safe zone, there was no real fighting—only jostling and pushing as awakeners raced toward the massive gate.

The chase lasted for nearly twenty-five minutes.

Karl and Celeste, having followed the flow of people, arrived just in time.

The far end of the city loomed before them, dominated by an enormous gate at least three times the size of the city entrance.

Beyond it, however, there was only darkness—an impenetrable void that obscured whatever lay ahead.

Celeste exhaled and grinned.

"See? No need for anything fancy."

Karl barely acknowledged her words, his attention fixed on the panel's message.

Only half will pass.

That meant the trial would be fiercely competitive.

But at the very least, failure didn't necessarily mean death—only that one would have to try again in two days.

"Is that why they gave us a month?" Karl murmured. "They probably assumed it would take a few attempts to pass."

Celeste nodded.

"Most likely. Which also means…"

Her eyes scanned the surrounding crowd.

"Some of these people have probably attempted this trial before."

Karl followed her gaze but found nothing suspicious.

If there were repeat challengers among them, they were keeping quiet.

His attention returned to the gate.

The trial grounds lay beyond it.

Until then, all they could do was wait.

The designated waiting area was massive—easily large enough to hold over 15,000 people.

Not even that many had come, though.

The more participants, the higher the failure rate.

And then—

Ding!

Panels appeared before everyone's eyes.

[You are no longer allowed to leave this area. You may only move forward.]

[The Fifth Floor's trial will now begin.]

[The gates will open. Your goal is to collect "Fragments of Keys" from the monsters ahead and use them to unlock the "Ascension Door" at the end of the area.]

[Number of Participants: 13,584]

[Number of People Allowed to Complete the Tower's Tutorial: 6,792]

For the first time, the tower had laid out a clear, structured trial.

Unlike the previous floors—where the goal was simply to survive or reach the end—this challenge had precise rules.

A final message followed.

[This is the first of many trials of this kind, and the difficulty will only increase from here.]

Karl clenched his fists.

The tower had spent four floors testing them—filtering out the weak, pushing them to their limits.

And now, it was beginning to refine the survivors, separating those who would rise from those who would fall.

Beyond the shadowed gate, the trial awaited.

And then—

BOOM!

The gate lit up, radiating energy as its massive doors began to open.

The Fifth Floor's trial had officially begun.

Celeste took a deep breath, adjusting her stance.

"Well… here we go."

Karl exhaled, eyes locked on the path ahead.

No more waiting.

No more hesitation.

It was time.