"I know you nodded," Colm said, stepping toward Carver, his voice filled with disbelief. "I asked a rhetorical question!"

He threw his hands up. "What the hell—you actually responded! After all this time, you're supposed to be just a phantom! A summon! But… I have been treating you all differently, haven't I?" His voice softened as realization hit. "I gave you names and the system recognized it. I treat you as friends, as allies. I don't think I've ever considered any of you disposable. I thought of you as extensions of myself and my abilities."

His mind flashed back to their first real fight. "Hell, I remember the first time you got defeated in Lucent Grove, Carver. I felt it—pain, even if just for a moment. I brought you back immediately, but… it felt real."

His gaze flicked between his summons. "All this time… have you been able to actually understand me or is this new? I know you all listened to my commands and had autonomy over how you protect me." His breath hitched. "I thought these abilities just controlled you automatically, but… do you actually have some kind of sentience?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, something shifted.

A pulse of energy rippled through the air around him, and suddenly, Colm felt his phantoms—not just their presence, but something deeper. Their existence became more defined, more real.

A notification flared to life before his eyes.

[ Congratulations! Hidden Feature Unlocked.

Class Specialization - Resonance

The system has recognized the deep bond you have forged with your phantoms, acknowledging them as more than mere summoned entities. Through your unwavering trust, companionship, and reliance on them as allies rather than tools, you have unlocked a specialization allowing you to focus on what it means to have Phantom Allies.

Resonance marks the evolution of your phantoms. Severing your phantoms' link to the spirit realm and instead anchoring them directly to your soul. They now draw power from your own strength, endurance, and magical prowess, growing alongside you rather than existing as static summons.

Phantom Link Reformed: Your phantoms no longer function as manifestations of the spirit realm. Instead, they are permanently tied to your own being, reflecting your growth and strength.

Stat Evolution: Phantoms no longer scale only the Spirit Warden's Class primary stat. Instead, they now benefit from all of your attributes.

Awakened Will: Due to their direct connection to your spirit, your phantoms have developed a sense of awareness and will of their own. While they shall always remain bound to your command, they can now listen, react, and gesture in response, acknowledging your words and actions in ways beyond simple automation. ]

Colm muttered in disbelief, "Holy shit."

I guess the Lucent Grove helped me in more ways than I realized. Getting stuck in there had pushed him to the brink, made him truly see his phantoms as more than just skills. They were his friends.

"This is fucking incredible," he breathed, looking toward his phantoms.

Before he could fully take in their presence, a blinding light erupted from where they stood, engulfing both them and himself. Colm instinctively shielded his eyes.

"What's happening?" he asked, but the light was gone in mere moments, replaced by a sudden warmth flooding through him.

Then, he felt them. Not just their presence—but something deeper. It was as if they were extensions of himself, as if he could move them just as easily as he could curl his own fingers.

So this is what it meant when the system said the link had reformed… They weren't just connected to him. They were a part of him now.

His gaze settled on Carver, and an inexplicable calm washed over him.

"Carver," he asked, hesitant. "Do you understand me?"

For a moment, nothing happened. Just as doubt began to creep in—

Carver nodded. Ever so slightly.

Colm felt his breath hitch. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible."

His eyes scanned over his phantoms, and for the first time, he noticed something different. They no longer held the shimmering, semi-transparent forms of before. Their presence felt solid, their figures more defined, no longer ghostly apparitions, but something real.

Testing a theory, Colm stepped up to Robin and placed a hand on his shoulder. Before, his touch would have partially phased through, a result of their spectral nature.

But now—His palm met solid form. His phantoms were no longer just spirits. They were fully corporeal. "Wow…" he exhaled. "That's an incredible change. What does it mean? I guess you all still don't talk?"

As if answering, Lance shook his head. Colm couldn't help but grin at the sight.

His mind raced with possibilities. "I wonder how much stronger you all are now… and what else has changed? The system mentioned you no longer scale just off Intelligence but my entire stat pool. If that's true… this is going to be an insane power boost."

A thought struck him. "Hmm… Carver, could you do a quick sprint around the room? I want to gauge your speed."

Carver nodded and shot forward as Colm's jaw nearly hit the floor. Before, Carver had already been incredibly fast—fast enough that Colm had to push himself to his absolute limit just to keep pace. But now?

His speed was on another level entirely.

"Shit…" Colm muttered. "I thought I had an edge when we sparred before… but now? You'd absolutely destroy me."

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Still, he needed to be sure.

He turned back to Carver. "Alright, square up. Let's have a quick boxing match. Nothing serious. I just need to get a feel for your movements."

Carver took his stance, and Colm mirrored him, nodding to start the spar. He lunged forward with a quick jab but before he could even fully react—Carver deflected the strike and knocked him flat on his ass.

Colm stared up at the ceiling, eyes wide. What the hell just happened? His breath came in excited bursts. "This is… amazing."

Then another thought hit him—if his phantoms were now tied to him instead of the spirit realm, what did that mean for their range limitations? He'd have to test that soon.

Pushing himself to stand up, he suddenly froze.

A hand—Carver's hand—was outstretched toward him.

Colm blinked, then let out a breathless laugh, gripping the phantom's hand as Carver effortlessly pulled him to his feet.

"Thank you," he said, dusting himself off.

Colm stayed in the starting room of the Twilight's Hollow, lost in thought about his next move. Should I tell Jerry about this revelation? The man had been nothing but helpful, but this was something truly incredible. He seemed trustworthy enough, and he'd probably share the knowledge responsibly… right? He glanced toward his phantoms, who all shrugged in unison.

Sighing, Colm muttered, "I don't want to hoard knowledge. I wonder if this is already known?" It hadn't taken me long to figure it out, but summoner-type classes were exceedingly rare—at least, according to Luke. Maybe a few others have discovered it but kept it to themselves? That seemed far more plausible than me uncovering something entirely new after over 200 years. There are definitely people out there smarter than me who already found this out. Does Jerry not know about class specializations?

Exhaling, he nodded to himself. "Yeah, after this, I'll head to the library and see if I can catch Jerry. Hopefully, this helps him… and maybe even saves some lives down the line. It's the least I can do for the man. He's taught me so much… and, well, I technically killed his brother. Well—his undead-turned brother."

His mind drifted as he thought about Jerry and Pitch. What happened between them that caused such a rift? Jerry had avoided going back there for nearly two hundred years. I struggle to remember the details of grudges I held just a few years ago. Trying to imagine holding onto something for over two centuries? That's... unfathomable.

I wonder what it's like to live that long. Then again, as long as nothing kills me, I'll find out. The thought settled oddly in his mind. Would it get boring? How long before I start running out of things to do?

Right now, leveling up and improving his skills was exhilarating—he couldn't see himself getting tired of it anytime soon. But something nagged at him, a memory of a career coach his company had brought in once. As we grow older and accumulate more experiences, time seems to move faster because each new moment becomes a smaller proportion of our overall life.

At over two hundred years old… does time feel like it flies by? He sighed at the thought. "Guess I'll find out eventually," he muttered to himself.

Cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, Colm mused, I think this is becoming a habit of mine. He chuckled. I've noticed that after some internal dialogue distracts me from my original focus, I crack my neck, roll my shoulders, and finally move forward.

His gaze shifted toward the entrance. I hope hanging around where the Echo Rift dropped me off didn't mess with the time too much… I got a bit preoccupied uncovering a whole new hidden class specialization.

Shaking off his doubts, he straightened up. "Alright. Carver, Lance, and Robin," he said, looking toward his phantoms. "Now that you all have that Awakened Will from the specialization, I'll repeat myself. I'm not sure if you two caught it earlier or if Carver only could infer it because I've had him the longest."

He took a deep breath before continuing as he looked at each of his phantoms. "Thank you. For everything. You've made my time in this world bearable and helped me reach great heights so quickly. It's really amazing, and I can't wait to see how high we can go together."

Robin, unexpectedly, was the one to respond—not with a nod but by stepping forward and embracing him in a hug.

Colm froze, caught completely off guard. He had only ever expected nods or shrugs, but it seemed like Robin was a hugger. Recovering quickly, he returned the embrace, an amused thought flitting through his mind. I don't think I ever put 'hugging a Tidal-infused phantom' on my Echoed Lands bingo card… but hey, doesn't phase me.

As he pulled away, he observed his phantoms more carefully. I guess this means they all have unique personality traits, as if they're truly individuals. That's good to know. A smirk tugged at his lips. I wonder what other differences will show up now?

[ Status ]

Name: Colm Arden

Race: Morvyn

Level: 65

Health: 1450 / 1450

Mana: 720 / 720

Strength: 70 (84)

Dexterity: 75 (90)

Intelligence: 120 (144)

Constitution: 121 (145)

Bonded Weapon: Abyssal Ledger (Tier 3, Level 4)

Weapon Ability: Abyssal Lance (Tier 3, Level 4)

Attunement: Tide

Attunement Abilities:

- Rising Current (Level 1)

- Wavebound Surge (Level 3)

Class: Spirit Warden (Tier 5)

Specialization: Resonance

Active Class Abilities:

- Phantom Warrior (Tier 2, Level 2) [Carver]

- Phantom Spearman (Tier 2, Level 1) [Lance]

- Phantom Archer (Level 10) [Robin]

- Empty

- Empty

Passive Class Abilities:

- Lingering Vitality (Tier 2, Level 10)

- Spectral Persistence (Level 10)

- Phantom Sacrifice (Level 10)

- Empty

- Empty

Skills:

- Analyze (Level 6)

- Stealth (Level 7)

- Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Hardened Skin (Level 8)

- Slash Resistance (Level 7)

- Spear Mastery (Level 10)

- Sprint Mastery (Level 10)

- Poison Resistance (Level 6)

- Stun Resistance (Level 5)

- Dual Wielding (Level 4)

- Infection Resistance (Tier 3, Level 10)

Achievements:

- Through the Rift

- Champion of the Lucent Grove

- Bane of the Undead

- Dusk Caverns Sprinter

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