While Celeste focused on clearing the [Ghouls] hovering above, launching [Fireball], [Mana Missile], [Magic Arrow], and [Thunder Strike], Karl and his spirits handled the chaos on the ground.

The number of enemies swarming the area was overwhelming, but since experience was shared, it didn't matter who killed what.

The only goal was survival.

"[Elite Lizard Soldier], if you see we're managing here, assist Celeste with your bow," Karl commanded.

The humanoid lizard gave a nod, smoothly alternating between slashing with its sword and firing arrows at the aerial threats whenever there was an opening.

On the front lines, the [Shadow Golem], [Stonefang Ape], and [Rock Hound] formed a sturdy defense, keeping the monsters from overwhelming the other spirits.

Under normal circumstances, [Infested Beings] weren't particularly dangerous.

However, their true threat came from their passive ability—[Infested].

If they landed a hit and weren't killed immediately, their target would slowly become infected, their body twisting into another monstrous form.

Luckily, Karl's spirits were neither alive nor susceptible to fear, making them the perfect counter to these creatures.

Even so, the numbers were insane.

Karl slashed through another wave of monsters, trying to help wherever he could, but there were just too many.

His [Spectral Blades] had already shattered four times, forcing him to resummon them, and Celeste's mana reserves were visibly dimming.

His spirits had taken multiple hits, their forms beginning to crack under the strain of battle.

If this continued much longer, they wouldn't hold out.

Celeste fired another round of spells before yelling, "M-Maybe [Nightmare] difficulty isn't just about level!"

She panted as she unleashed another [Thunder Strike].

"I think the difficulty determines how many monsters spawn instead!"

Karl gritted his teeth, nodding as he deflected an incoming attack with a swift counter.

He had come to the same realization.

No matter how many dozens they cut down, more replaced them instantly.

It was like the battlefield itself was spawning them infinitely.

Even if Karl pushed forward with everything he had, even if Celeste drained her mana completely, it wouldn't be enough.

Right as he considered giving the order to wipe everything out in one desperate push—

A sudden pressure filled the air.

An overwhelming, suffocating aura.

Everyone—Karl, Celeste, the spirits, and even the monsters—froze in place, their attention drawn to the source of this raw, devastating power.

And there, standing behind them, was the [Sovereign Wolf].

"…Huh."

It had been motionless the entire time, merely observing.

But now, its body radiated a dark energy so thick it seemed to distort the space around it.

Karl's breath caught in his throat.

'Was it… charging an attack this whole time?!'

The wolf's [Void Blade] pulsed violently, the energy around it deepening into a pitch-black mass, darker than the shadows cast by the cemetery itself.

It was as if the weapon was absorbing the very essence of the battlefield.

And then—

Fwish!

Slash!

The [Sovereign Wolf] lunged forward, its jaws snapping as it unleashed a crescent-shaped wave of black energy.

Karl's instincts screamed at him.

"DUCK DOWN!"

Without a second thought, he grabbed Celeste by the back of her head and forced her to the ground, his heart pounding.

At the same time, he dismissed all of his spirits except the [Sovereign Wolf], instantly pulling them into the [Spirit Cemetery].

He knew what would happen if he didn't.

His spirits could interact with one another physically, which meant they could also harm each other.

If they remained in the field when that attack landed… they wouldn't survive.

Fwoosh!

The dark energy slash moved faster than the eye could track, cutting through the battlefield like a blade through water.

And then—

Fwish!

It hit the horde.

Silence, for a second, nothing happened.

Then, a single wave of pressure pulsed through the cemetery.

And in the next instant, every single monster in its path was severed in half.

The energy wave didn't stop after hitting the first row of undead, it kept going, tearing through everything in its trajectory.

[Infested Beings], [Ghouls], [Skeletons]—all of them were sliced apart before they could even react.

The battlefield, once filled with countless enemies, was now littered with unmoving corpses.

Those that remained standing didn't last much longer.

The [Sovereign Wolf] dashed forward, moving like a shadow, its [Void Blade] slashing mercilessly through the remnants of the horde.

It tore through everything.

Celeste barely managed to process what had happened before she whispered, "That… was insane."

Karl exhaled, slowly pushing himself off the ground.

He glanced around, scanning the battlefield.

Everything was dead.

"…Alright," he muttered, brushing the dust off his clothes.

"Good… job?"

The [Sovereign Wolf] bounced excitedly, its tail swishing as it hopped in place.

Celeste, grinning, rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck, making sure to avoid the deadly blade in its mouth.

"You're strong!"

And then—

[You have reached level 19. You have gained 2 stat points for each of your stats.]

[Level: 19 (79.00%)]

[Your proficiency with "Spectral Blade" has increased by 17%]

Karl's eyes flickered at the notification.

Just one more level.

Once he reached level 20, he would unlock his [Specialized Class], which meant gaining new abilities and an optimized evolution path.

Celeste had also leveled up to 19, confirming that the experience was indeed shared.

Karl let out a deep sigh, dismissing the exhaustion settling into his limbs.

He turned his attention to the battlefield, where dozens upon dozens of corpses lay scattered.

Glowing orbs of energy hovered above them, remnants of the defeated monsters.

Without wasting time, he began collecting them.

At least, that was the plan.

Because soon enough—

[Spirit Cemetery: 50/50]

[Spirit Storage: 100/100]

His entire capacity was full.

Which meant this battle had given him an incredible amount of resources.

Celeste, still hugging the wolf, suddenly grinned.

"I'll call him Sovaryn!"

Karl blinked.

"You just made that up."

"I think it sounds cool," she shrugged.

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

Naming spirits wasn't exactly his strong suit.

[You have eliminated all of the monsters in the Undead Cemetery.]

The notification confirmed what he already knew.

The battlefield was clear.

Now, only the cathedral remained.

"That boss is gonna be tough," Celeste said, her gaze shifting toward the looming structure.

"I think Sovaryn could handle it alone, but we should still be careful."

Karl nodded.

"Yeah…"

Even for a spirit, the [Sovereign Wolf] was abnormally strong.

Stronger than anything else he had summoned before.

His [Orc King] and [Shadow Assassin Lizard]—both powerful in their own right—were no match.

Was this sheer luck?

Or was it the SS-Talent he had stolen from Alexander?

If the latter was true, then he needed to test something.

His [Shadow Assassin Lizard] had inherited an S-Rank talent.

If spirits gained the same power boosts as humans when infused with talents… then his summoning ability was far more broken than he had initially thought.

"Wait here a bit," Karl said.

"Huh? Why—"

Before Celeste could finish her sentence, he closed his eyes.

"[Spirit Cemetery]."

The moment he spoke the words, his body collapsed.

His spirits instantly vanished into a silver mist.

Celeste's eyes widened.

"What the hell?!"

She rushed to his side, sensing a familiar, eerie chill surrounding him.

And when she placed a hand on his wrist, she sensed that there was no pulse.

Her breath caught.

He had... just died?

'No, this is probably not it...' Celeste shook her head.

'Alexander and his group didn't know why I had attacked them back in the [Novice Trial].'

She started connecting the dots in her mind.

Alexander had cut Karl's body, killing him, but he had informed her that he believed that Karl was dead to begin with.

Which meant that right now, whatever Karl was doing, rendered his real body dead for some strange reason.

And he relied on her to protect him.

'I'll have to ask him...'

Seems like there was much more to that [Spirit Summoner] profession she didn't know about.

Meanwhile, Karl opened his eyes.

He was in the [Spirit Cemetery] again.

And now, it was time for the next step.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.