Awakening: I Became a Legendary Spirit Summoner

Nearly an hour had passed since the trial began.

Karl and Celeste had already slain well over a hundred monsters each.

Their progress had been smooth—almost too easy.

Karl's spirits carved through their enemies with relentless efficiency.

Celeste's magic erased any threats before they could become troublesome.

Neither of them had even broken a sweat.

Yet, the further they ventured into the ruined city, the more types of monsters they encountered.

It became clear that this trial was designed to escalate.

Constantly introducing new threats the deeper one ventured.

By the time they reached what they estimated to be more than the halfway point, two new types of monsters appeared:

[Level 24 - Decaying Hounds]Large, rotting canines with exposed muscle and glowing red eyes.

Their bites spread a paralyzing toxin.

They are relentless hunters that track prey through scent.

[Level 25 - Plague Vermin]Massive, diseased rats with matted fur and glowing yellow eyes.

Their bites carry a deadly sickness that weakens those afflicted over time.

Adding these to the already encountered [Screeching Banshees] and [Hollow Striders], they now faced a wider variety of threats.

It was clear that this was the final test before the [Tower's Tutorial] came to an end.

The Tower was ensuring that only those capable of ascending further would move forward.

Those who couldn't?

They would either die or be left behind after failing to collect enough [Fragments of Key].

Karl and Celeste, however, weren't struggling with that issue.

Between the two of them, they had already gathered 27 fragments.

Karl had been keeping track.

He had noticed something strange early on and decided to confirm his suspicions.

After meticulously counting every monster they had slain and comparing it to the number of fragments they obtained, a pattern emerged.

The drop rate wasn't random.

It was one in five.

On average, a single awakener needed to kill 125 monsters to obtain the necessary 25 fragments.

Of course, luck played a role.

But the probability was consistent enough for Karl to be certain.

During this time, Karl also made sure to collect as many [Spirit Orbs] as he could.

Unfortunately, his [Spirit Cemetery] and [Storage] were already nearing their limits, forcing him to find ways to make space.

'Guess it's time to make better use of the spirit gun.'

Rather than letting spirits go to waste, Karl relied on his Spirit Gun.

Each bullet consumed one spirit.

It was an efficient way to train his aim while also ensuring no energy was left unused.

Then—

[You have reached Level 24.]

[You have gained 2 points for each attribute.]

He and Celeste leveled up.

Though neither received anything aside from stat points.

Karl did notice, however, that the [Hollow Striders] had now dropped below his level.

Meaning they no longer provided spirit orbs.

That was when Karl made a decision.

He couldn't afford to keep wasting spirits.

If his [Cemetery] was full, he needed to use them properly.

That was why, for the first time, he turned to Celeste and asked for something absurd.

"Hey, Celeste."

She turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow at his serious expression.

"I need you to guard me while my body is… somewhere else."

Celeste instantly understood.

She crossed her arms and nodded.

"Go ahead. Just be quick."

Karl didn't waste time.

Normally, he relied on [Link] to create new spirits.

But this time, he needed results now.

Instead of linking, he activated [Absorb] for the first time in a while.

Of course, he made sure to transfer all important spirits—such as the [Frozen Tuskreaper] from the Fourth Floor—to Storage so they wouldn't be consumed by accident.

Though, a thought crossed his mind.

'What would happen if I absorbed a boss spirit?'

Would it grant him special abilities?

A massive stat boost?

Or was it just slightly stronger than a normal one?

He didn't have time to test it now, but it was worth considering for the future.

For now, Karl activated [Absorb], and the spirits began to move.

Fifty tombstones cracked apart as the spirits emerged.

Their translucent forms floated toward Karl before merging into his body.

A rush of energy surged through him.

Filling every part of his being.

Then, a notification appeared.

Ding!

[Strength increased by 2.]

[Agility increased by 1.]

[Stamina increased by 1.]

[Mana increased by 3.]

Karl's eyes widened.

"Oh shit."

This was… good.

Really good.

For fifty spirits, this was a solid stat gain.

Had he focused purely on [Absorb] from the beginning, his stats might have rivaled some of the bosses he had faced.

But he shook his head.

No.

[Link] was the better long-term option.

More summons meant better versatility.

And versatility was what kept him alive.

Even so, this experience reminded him not to neglect his personal growth.

With his decision made, Karl whispered:

"Spirit Cemetery."

He opened his eyes and found himself back in the ruined city.

Celeste was standing nearby.

Her gaze flicking between the shadows.

But it seemed no enemies had come while he was gone.

Karl stretched, summoning his spirits once again.

[Verdant Dreadwolf, Shadow Assassin Lizard, Dire Duskfang, Duskforged Golem]

Before he could move, Celeste spoke.

"Forty-eight seconds."

Karl blinked.

"Huh?"

Celeste smirked.

"You were gone for exactly forty-eight seconds. I thought you might want to know that."

Karl rubbed his chin.

"Interesting. I appreciate it."

He had never measured the time spent inside the [Cemetery].

But Celeste, with nothing else to do, had done so effortlessly.

He made a mental note—this information could be useful later.

They resumed their advance.

Only five minutes later, every participant in the trial received a notification.

[Someone has assembled their "Key" and passed the "Ascension Door."]

Ding!

[Number of spots left: 6,589.]

Karl and Celeste froze.

That number didn't make sense.

"What?"

"How?"

The last time they checked, the number of available spots was 6,792.

Yet, despite only one person passing, the count had dropped by over two hundred.

Then, another message arrived.

[Do note that if someone is killed by monsters during the trial, one spot for the "Ascension Door" will be removed.]

Celeste muttered under her breath.

"Holy shit."

Karl exhaled.

"This means much less than half of the participants will actually pass."

He wasn't surprised.

After the trick with the [Mantis Lords] on the Third Floor, he had suspected the Tower was hiding more rules.

This only confirmed it.

Now, everyone in the trial would have to move faster.

Karl knew he and Celeste could handle it.

His summons were unmatched—

His [Shadow Assassin Lizard] eliminated [Screeching Banshees], climbing walls to ambush them mid-air.

His [Verdant Dreadwolf] used vines to ensnare enemies.

While the [Dire Duskfang] moved with terrifying speed and power.

The [Duskforged Golem] tanked damage effortlessly, cutting down foes with its massive axe.

Their team was unstoppable.

Twenty minutes passed.

They gathered eight more fragments.

Bringing their total to 35 out of 50.

They could have left the trial early…

But neither wanted to leave the other behind.

Then—

Ding!

[500 people have cleared the Fifth Floor's trial.]

[The last rule will now activate.]

Voices erupted across the trial.

"Another hidden rule?!"

"Fuck you, Tower!"

"Bring whatever you want, you think we're scared?!"

Then, the announcement came.

[The Juggernaut has now been released inside the city.]

[Do not attempt to fight it.]

[Good luck.]

Karl had a bad feeling as he saw this panel.

This trial was about to claim far more lives than anyone expected.